Nanoha and the Tomb of Shadows
by Star of Fate
Summary: Nanoha Takamachi can't wait to begin her second year at St. Hilde Academy of Magic with her friends, Fate and Hayate. But danger lurks in the shadows of the ancient church. An unseen monster is attacking, ripping apart the souls of both the living and the dead. Will Nanoha once again become St. Hilde's shining angel? Or will she become a White Devil?
1. The Worst Birthday

**Nanoha and the Tomb of Shadows**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

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**Chapter One: The Worst Birthday**

Not for the first time, an argument had broken out over breakfast at number nine, Erika Road. Mr. Kenji Henken had been woken in the early hours of the morning by a loud, rattling noise from his niece Nanoha's room.

"Third time this week!" he roared across the table. "If you can't control that fairy of yours, it will have to go!"

Nanoha tried, yet again, to explain.

"She's _bored_," she said. "She's used to flying around outside. If I could just her out at night – "

"Do I look stupid?" snarled Uncle Kenji, a bit of fried egg dangling from his bushy mustache. "I know what will happen if that thing is let out."

He exchanged dark looks with his wife, Kurima. Nanoha tried to argue back but her words were drowned by a long, loud belch from the Henken's son, Kenta.

"I want more bacon."

"There's more in the frying pan, sweetie," said Aunt Kurima, turning misty eyes on her massive son. "We must build you up while we've got the chance…I don't like the sound of that school food…"

"Nonsense, Kurima, I never went hungry when _I _was at _Chiben Gakuen__," _said Uncle Kenji heartily. "Kenta gets enough, don't you, son?"

Kenta, who was so large his bottom drooped over either side of the kitchen chair, grinned and turned to Nanoha.

"Pass the frying pan."

"You've forgotten the magic word," said Nanoha irritably.

The effect of this simple sentence on the rest of the family was incredible: Kenta gasped and fell off his chair with a crash that shook the whole kitchen; Mrs. Henken gave a small scream and clapped her hands to her mouth; Mr. Henken jumped to his feet, veins throbbing in his temples.

"I meant 'please'!" said Nanoha quickly. "I didn't mean – "

"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU," thundered her uncle, spraying spit over the table, "ABOUT SAYING THE 'M' WORD IN OUR HOUSE?"

"But I – "

"HOW DARE YOU THREATEN KENTA!" roared Uncle Kenji, pounding the table with his fist.

"I just – "

"I WARNED YOU! I WILL NOT TOLERATE MENTION OF YOUR ABNORMALITY UNDER THIS ROOF!"

Nanoha stared from her purple-faced uncle to her pale aunt, who was trying to heave Kenta to his feet.

"All right," said Nanoha, "_all right…_"

Uncle Kenji sat back down, breathing like a winded rhinoceros and watching Nanoha closely out of the cornered of his small, sharp eyes. Ever since Nanoha had come home for the school holidays, Uncle Kenji had been treating her like a bomb that might go off at any moment, because Nanoha Takamachi _wasn't _a normal girl. As a matter of fact, she was as not normal as any Earth girl could possibly be.

Nanoha was a mage – a mage fresh from her first year as St. Hilde Academy of Magic. And if the Henkens were unhappy to have her back for the holidays, it was nothing compared to how Nanoha felt. She missed St. Hilde so much it was like having a constant stomachache. She missed the church, with its secret passageways and Shinigami (except Captain Suì-Fēng), her classes (though perhaps not Presea Testarossa, Scientific Researcher and mother of her best friend), the mail arriving by Fay, eating banquets in the Great Hall, sleeping in her canopy bed in the tower dormitory, visiting Schach and her attendants, Erio and Caro, in her shack next to the Forbidden Forest in the grounds, and, especially, Riot Force, the most popular sport in Mid-Childa (next to Brave Duel in Fate's opinion). Nanoha was the Ace of her house team and she was very good at it – everyone called her the Ace of Aces.

All of Nanoha's spell books, Barrier Jackets, chemistry ingredients, and everything she had brought from St. Hilde had been locked in the basement by Uncle Kenji the instant Nanoha had come home. Nanoha had only managed to smuggle her Intelligent Device, Raising Heart, by disguising her as a necklace, which she wore constantly. What did the Henkens care if Nanoha lost her place on the Riot Force team because she hadn't practiced over the holidays? What was it to the Henkens if Nanoha went back to school without any of her homework done? The Henkens were what mages called Machlos (powerless humans), and as far as they were concerned, having a mage in the family was a matter of deepest shame. Uncle Kenji had even padlocked Nanoha's Fay, Lucy, inside a cage, to stop her from carrying messages to anyone.

Nanoha looked nothing like the rest of the family. Uncle Kenji was large and neckless, with an enormous black mustache; Aunt Kurima was horse-faced and bony; Kenta was dark-haired, pink, and porky. Nanoha, on the other hand, was small and skinny, with shimmering blue eyes and short, auburn that was kept in pigtails. And on her chest, just below her neckline, was a star-shaped scar.

It was this scar that made Nanoha so particularly unusual, even for a mage. This scar was the only hint of Nanoha's very mysterious past, of the reason she had been left on the Henken's doorstep eleven years ago.

At the age of one year old, Nanoha had somehow survived a curse from the greatest dark ruler of all time, Stern the Destructor, whose name most mages still feared to speak. Nanoha's parents, brother, and sister had died in Stern's attack, but Nanoha had escaped with her star scar, and somehow – nobody understood why – Stern's powers had been destroyed the instant she had failed to kill Nanoha.

So Nanoha had been brought up by her dead mother's sister and her husband. She had spent ten years with the Henkens, never understanding why she kept making odd things happen without meaning to, believing the Henken's story that she had gotten her in the car crash that killed her family.

And then, exactly one year ago St. Hilde had written to Nanoha and the whole story had come out. Nanoha had taken up her place at magic school, where she and her scar were famous…but now the school year was over, and she was back with the Henkens for the holidays, back to being treated like a dog that had rolled in something smelly. The Henkens hadn't even remembered that today was March 15th, Nanoha's twelfth birthday. Of course, her hopes hadn't been high; they had never given her a real present, let alone a cake – but to ignore it completely...

At that moment, Uncle Kenji cleared his throat importantly and said, "Now, as we all know, today is a very important day." Nanoha looked up, hardly daring to believe it. "This could well be the day I make the biggest deal of my career."

Nanoha went back to her toast. _Of course,_ she thought bitterly, _Uncle Kenji was talking about the stupid dinner party._ He had been talking of nothing else for two weeks. Some rich businessman and his wife were coming to dinner and Uncle Kenji was hoping to get a huge order from him (Uncle Kenji's company made cars).

"I think we should run through the schedule one more time," said Uncle Kenji. "We should all be in position at eight o'clock. Kurima, you will be – "

"In the family room," said Aunt Kurima promptly, "waiting to welcome them graciously to our home."

"Good, good. And Kenta?"

"I'll be waiting to open the door." Kenta put on a foul, simpering smile. "May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Yamato?"

"They will _love _him!" cried Aunt Kurima rapturously.

"Excellent, Kenta," said Uncle Kenji. Then he rounded to Nanoha. "And _you_?"

"I'll be in my room, making no noise and pretending I don't exist," said Nanoha tonelessly.

"Exactly," said Uncle Kenji nastily. "I will lead them into the family room, introduce you, Kurima, and pour them drinks. At eight fifteen – "

"I'll announce dinner," said Aunt Kurima.

"And Kenta, you will say – "

"May I take you through to the dining room, Mrs. Yamato?" said Kenta, offering his fat arm to an invisible woman.

"My perfect little gentleman!" sniffed Aunt Kurima.

"And _you_?" said Uncle Kenji viciously to Nanoha.

"I'll be in my room, making no noise and pretending I don't exist," said Nanoha dully.

"Precisely. Now, we should aim to get in a few compliments at dinner. Any ideas, Kurima?"

"Kenji tells me you're a _wonderful_ golfer, Mr. Yamato…_do_ tell me where you bought your dress, Mrs. Yamato…"

"Perfect…Kenta?"

"How about – 'we had to write an essay about our hero at school, Mr. Yamato, and _I _wrote about _you'_."

This was too much for both Aunt Kurima and Nanoha. Aunt Kurima burst into tears and hugged her son, while Nanoha ducked under the table so they wouldn't see her laughing.

"And you, girl?"

Nanoha fought to keep her face straight as she emerged.

"I'll be in my room, making no noise and pretending I don't exist," she said.

"Too right, you will," said Uncle Kenji forcefully. The Yamatos don't know anything about you and it's going to stay that way. When dinner is over, you take Mrs. Yamato back to the family room for coffee, Kurima, and I'll bring the subject around to cars. With any luck, I'll have the deal signed and sealed before the news at ten. We'll be shopping for a vacation home in Kansai this time tomorrow."

Nanoha couldn't feel too excited about this. She didn't think the Henkens would like her any better in Kansai than they did on Erika Road.

"Right – I'm off into town to pick up the dress jackets for Kenta and me. And _you_," he snarled at Nanoha. "You stay out of your aunt's way while she's cleaning."

Nanoha left through the back door. It was a brilliant, sunny day. She crossed the lawn, slumped on the garden bench, and sang under her breath – but copyright law prevented from being included in this story. No cards, no presents, and she would be spending the evening pretending not to exist. She gazed miserably over at the fence. She had never felt so lonely. More than anything else at St. Hilde, more even than playing Riot Force, Nanoha missed her friends and roommates: Fate Testarossa, Hayate Yagami, Teana Lancaster, and Subaru Nakajima. They, however, didn't seem to be missing her at all. Neither of them had written to her during the holiday, even though Hayate had said she was going to ask Nanoha to come and stay.

Countless times, Nanoha had been on the point of blowing the lock on Lucy's cage and sending her to any of her friends with a letter, but it wasn't worth the risk. Underage mages weren't allowed to use magic outside the school. Nanoha hadn't told the Henkens this; he knew it was only their terror that she might turn them all into dung beetles that stopped them from locking _her_ in the basement with her bags and school books. For the first couple of weeks back, Nanoha had enjoyed muttering nonsense words under her breath and watching Kenta tearing out of the room as fast as hi fat legs would carry him. But the long silence from her friends had made Nanoha feel so cut off from the magical world that even taunting Kenta had lost its appeal – and thy had forgotten her birthday.

What wouldn't she give now for a message from St. Hilde? From any made? She would almost be glad of the sight of her archenemy, Yuri Eberwein, just to be sure it hadn't all been a dream…

Not that her whole year at St. Hilde had been fun. At the very end of the last term, Nanoha had come face-to-face with a Homunculus named Envy, a loyal servant and vessel of Stern the Destructor. Stern might be a ruin of her former self, but she was still terrifying, still cunning, still determined to regain power. Nanoha and Raising Heart had managed to destroy Envy and escape Stern's clutches for a second time, but it was a narrow escape, and even now, weeks later, Nanoha kept waking in the night, drenched in cold sweat, wondering where Stern was now, remembering those chilling, icy-blue eyes…

Nanoha suddenly sat bolt upright on the garden bench. She had been staring absent-mindedly at the fence – _and someone was staring back._ Whoever it was must have known Nanoha had seen them and quickly ducked out of sight, but Nanoha did manage to see something that looked suspiciously like…two blue tentacles? Nanoha jumped to her feet just as a jeering voice floated across the lawn.

"I know what day it is," sand Kenta, waddling toward her.

"What?" said Nanoha, not taking her eyes off the spot where the watcher had been.

"I know what day it is," Kenta repeated, coming right up to her.

"Well done," said Nanoha. "So you've finally learned the days of the week."

Today is your _birthday_," sneered Kenta. "How come you haven't got any cards? Haven't you got friends at that freak place?"

"Better not let your mom hear you talking about my school," said Nanoha coolly.

Kenta hitched up his trousers, which were slipping down his fat bottom – as if Nanoha wasn't sick enough today.

"Why are you staring at the fence?" he said suspiciously.

"I'm trying to decide what would be the best spell to set it on fire," said Nanoha.

Kenta stumbled backwards at once, a look of panic on his fat face.

"You c-can't – dad told you you're not to do m-magic – he said he'll throw you out of the house – and you haven't got anywhere else to go – you haven't got any _friends_ to take you – "

"_Jiggery pokery!_" said Nanoha in a fierce voice. "_Hocus pocus – squiggly wiggly – _"

MOOOOOOM! Howled Kenta, tripping over his feet as he dashed back toward the house. "MOOOOM! She's doing you know what!"

"**Are all humans so easily frightened by gibberish sayings, Master?**" said the Intelligent Device, Raising Heart; the ruby jewel blinked with each word. "**In the last six weeks alone, I have documented your maternal relation running away in fright one hundred and four times.**"

"Nah, only stupid people like Kenta," said Nanoha giggling. It was nice to talk to someone that didn't cringe at the sight of her. "I know I'm going to get in trouble for this but…what he said bothered me…"

"**What was that, Master?**" asked Raising Heart.

"What if Kenta is right about them?" said Nanoha sadly. "Fate-Chan and the others – what if I _don't _have any friends at St. Hilde? What if they only liked me because of my name or because I'm good at Riot Force?"

"**I don't believe that**," said Raising Heart kindly. "**Miss Testarossa and Miss Yagami never cared about your name – Miss Testarossa is a world famous Brave Duel Champion. She understands the downside of popularity like you. And Miss Yagami is too sweet and kind to forget about you. Although, I find her obsession with the female mammary glands a bit…disconcerting.**"

"Then why haven't they sent me a letter or at least tried to call?" said Nanoha.

"**I'm not sure myself,**" Raising Heart admitted. "**But don't trouble yourself, Master. I'm sure whatever it is, Miss Testarossa and Miss Yagami are wishing you a happy birthday now. And I'm sure Miss Lancaster and Miss Nakajima would be wishing you well, too, if they weren't already celebrating.**"

"Oh, that's right, it's Subaru's birthday, too," said Nanoha, hardly believing she had forgotten one of her friend's birthdays. "I should find a way to send her a card."

"**I'm sure you will**," said Raising Heart. "**But first, you may want to duck.**"

Nanoha snapped her head up and barely dived to the ground before she was hit in the head by a soapy frying pan tossed her way by Aunt Kurima. On the bright side, at least she would be ready for when she took Tactical Combat Instruction. Aunt Kurima marched outside to retrieve her frying pan and gave Nanoha work to do, with the promise she wouldn't eat again until she finished. So while Kenta lolled around watching and eating ice cream, Nanoha cleaned the windows, washed the car, mowed the lawn, trimmed the flowerbeds, pruned and watered the rose, and repainted the garden bench. The sun blazed overhead, burning the back of her neck.

_Wish they could see the famous Nanoha Takamachi now, _she thought savagely as she spread manure on the flower beds, her back aching, sweat running down her face. It was half past seven in the evening when at last, exhausted, she heard Aunt Kurima calling her.

"Get in here! And walk on the newspaper!"

Nanoha moved gladly into the shade of the gleaming kitchen. On top of the fridge stood tonight's dessert: a huge red velvet cake topped with whipped cream and sugared violets. A fat, juicy turkey was roasting in the oven.

"Eat quickly! The Yamatos will be here soon!" snapped Aunt Kurima, pointing to two slices of bread and a lump of cheese that Nanoha didn't think was supposed to have blue fuzz on the corner.

Nanoha washed her hands and bolted down her pitiful dinner. The moment she had finished, Aunt Kurima whisked away her plate.

"Upstairs! Hurry!"

As she passed the door to the living room, Nanoha caught a glimpse of Uncle Kenji and Kenta in bow ties and tuxedos – she could have sworn she heard Raising Heart snickering. She had only just reached the upstairs landing when the doorbell rang and Uncle Kenji's vicious face appeared at the foot of the stairs.

"Remember, girl – one sound – "

Nanoha crossed to her bedroom on tiptoes, slipped inside, closed the door, and turned to collapse on her bed.

The trouble was, there was already someone sitting on it.

"**Well, that's something you don't see every day,**" Raising Heart commented.

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**And so begins the first chapter of the second of eight books, Nanoha and the Tomb of Shadows. A lot of new interesting features will be included in this new installment including Brave Duel, a new Tactical Combat Instructor, a powerful new enemy, a vicious war on race, and the less important characters will have a chance to shine along with Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate. Next chapter will introduce the central side character, so look forward to that.**

**On a side note, I am still in the planning stages of a new original story I have in mind, but it will take some time to figure it all out. If some of the more experienced writers would like to PM me to help me out, I would help things move faster. If not, that's cool. Just know that I am giving it my all to make this story happen.**


	2. Vette's Warning

**Nanoha and the Tomb of Shadows**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

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**Chapter Two: Vette's Warning**

Nanoha managed not to scream like the little girl she is, but it was very difficult. The creature on her bed was the size of an adult woman and had a similar body structure, but her skin was a rich shade of blue and carried distinctive dark marks on her head, which traveled down the pair of tentacles protruding from the back of her skull. Nanoha knew instantly that this was what had been watching her over the garden fence that morning. As they stared at each other, Nanoha heard Kenta's voice from the hall.

"May I take your coat, Mr. and Mrs. Yamato?"

The creature slipped off the bed, dropped to her knees, and bowed so low that her end of her nose touched the carpet, her head tentacles draped over her shoulders. Nanoha noticed that she was wearing the smallest and thinnest bits of sheets that barely covered her modesty. The silver collar strapped to her throat was the only thing that seemed clean of her homely wardrobe.

"Er – hello," said Nanoha nervously.

"Nanoha Takamachi!" said the creature in a loud tone Nanoha was sure would carry down the stairs. "I've wanted to meet you for a very long time…I don't normally say this, but it's a real honor…"

"Th-thank you," said Nanoha, edging along the wall and sinking into her desk chair, next to Lucy, who was asleep in her large cage. She wanted to ask, "What are you?" but thought it would sound too rude, so instead she said, "Who are you?"

"Vette, ma'am. Just Vette. I don't really have a last name anymore," said the creature.

"**Subject analysis complete,**" said Raising Heart. "**Subject is a Twi'lek, a native species to Non-Administrated World 57, Ryloth. They are identified by their distinctive head tails called lekku and female Twi'lek are often subject to slavery for their beauty.**"

"Oh – really?" said Nanoha slowly. "Er – I don't want to be rude or anything, but – this isn't a great time for me to have a Twi'lek in my bedroom." Aunt Kurima's high, false laugh sounded from the living room. The twi'lek hung her head. "Not that I'm not pleased to meet you, but, er, is there any particular reason you're here?"

"Oh, yes, ma'am," said Vette earnestly. "I've come to tell you something important, ma'am…it is difficult…I'm just wondering where I should start…"

"Why don't you sit down?" said Nanoha politely, pointing at the bed.

To her horror, the Twi'lek burst into tears – very noisy tears

"_S-sit down!_" she wailed. "_Never…never ever..._"

Nanoha thought she heard the voices downstairs falter.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I didn't mean to offend you or anything – "

"Offend me!" choked the Twi'lek. "I'm not offended, ma'am. It's just that – it's been a long time since anyone has been so nice to me – no one even gives me the time of day – and _you_ – "

Nanoha, trying to say "Shh!" and look comforting at the same time, ushered Vette back onto the bed where she sat hiccoughing, looking like a large stuffed doll. At last she managed to control herself, and sat with her amazingly beautiful eyes fixed on Nanoha in an expression of watery adoration. Nanoha looked away, feeling hot around the face.

"You can't have met many decent people," said Nanoha, trying to cheer her up.

Vette shook her head. Then, without warning, she leapt up and started banging her head furiously on the window, threatening to crack it open, shouting, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Nanoha quickly sprang up and pulled Vette back onto the bed – Lucy had woken up with a particularly loud shriek and was beating her food bowl wildly against the bars of her cage. Lucy didn't like it when someone woke her from her beauty sleep, especially when she woke up with a case of bedhead.

"Sorry about that – it was instinctive," said the Twi'lek, who had gone slightly cross-eyed. "But I had to punish myself. I almost said something back about my family behind their back…"

"Your family?"

"Your Device told you, right? Most female Twi'leks are made into slaves – some are born into it, some are captured from their home planet. I'm part of the latter – my sister and I were taken from our planet when we were little. My sister was sold to be entertainment to the Hutts and I was sent to a mage family – bound to serve them until my dying day."

"That's horrible!" said Nanoha. "Why does slavery even still exist? Why isn't the TSAB doing something about it?"

"**The Time-Space Administration Bureau has no jurisdiction over Non-Administrated Worlds including Ryloth,**" said Raising Heart. "**The TSAB has abolished the practice of slavery on most Administrated Worlds, but there are still many worlds that continue this practice.**"

"Hey, it's not all bad," said Vette faintly. "Some slave owners are very nice and even treat them like equals. Some of them are even set free after years of service. Most slave-born like my friend Oola have the opportunity to leave if they want, but they choose not to because they are loyal to their masters."

"And I'm guessing your master isn't one of those…" said Nanoha softly. "Do they even know you're here?"

"Oh no, ma'am, no…I'm going to have to punish myself most severely for coming to see you, ma'am. I'll probably have to shut my lekku in the oven door for this. If they ever knew what I was doing – "

"But won't they notice if you shut your lekku in the oven door?"

"I sincerely doubt that, ma'am. I always have to punish myself for something. They just let me get on with it. Sometimes they remind me to do extra punishments and a few times they even pick out what the punishment is…"

"But why don't you leave? Escape?"

"Because of this," said Vette, tapping her silver collar. "If I try to run away from my service, it will emit a neural shock into my brain that could kill me. They only way I can escape is if the head of the house sets me free. And the family will never set me free…I'll have to serve the family until my body finally collapses…"

"And I thought I had it bad staying here for the next three weeks," Nanoha said. "This makes the Henkens sound almost human. Can't anyone help you? Can't I?" Almost at once, Nanoha wished she hadn't spoken. Vette dissolved again into wails of gratitude. "Please, please be quiet. If the Henkens hear anything, if they know you're here – "

"I'm sorry…it's just…even the people of my planet have heard your story…everyone has heard of your greatness, but I would have never thought you were so kind and honest, too…"

"Nanoha, who felt the heat of her face increased tenfold, said, "Whatever you have heard about my greatness is a load of garbage. I'm not even top of my year at St. Hilde; that's Fate-Chan, she – "

But she stopped quickly, because thinking about Fate was painful.

"And you are humble and modest," said Vette reverently, her watery eyes aglow. "You haven't even said a word about your victory over the Queen of Darkness – "

"Stern?" said Nanoha.

Vette pulled hard on her lekku and moaned, "Don't say that name! Don't say that name!"

Sorry," said Nanoha quickly. "I know lots of people don't like it. My friend Hayate-Chan – "

She stopped again. Thinking about Hayate was painful, too. Vetter leaned toward Nanoha, her eyes wide as headlights.

"I've heard the rumors," she said hoarsely, "that you met the Dark Queen for a second time, just months ago…that you somehow escaped _yet again_." Nanoha nodded and Vette's eyes suddenly shone with tears. "Everything I heard about Nanoha Takamachi being so valiant and bold is true! You have braved so many dangers already! But I have come to protect you this time; to warn you, even if I _do_ have to shut my lekku in the oven door later…_Nanoha Takamachi must not go back to St. Hilde._"

There was silence broken only by the chink of knives and forks from downstairs and the distant rumbling of Uncle Kenji's voice.

"W-what?" Nanoha stammered. "But I've got to go back – term starts on April 1st. it's all that's keeping me going. You don't know what it's like here. I don't _belong_ here. I belong on Mid-Childa – at St. Hilde."

"No, no, no," squeaked Vette, shaking her head so hard her lekku were flapping around. "Nanoha has to stay here where she is safe. You are too great, too good, to lose. If you think about going back to St. Hilde, you will be in mortal danger."

"Why?" said Nanoha in surprise.

"There is a plot, Nanoha. A plot to make the most terrible things happen at St. Hilde Academy of Magic this year," whispered Vette, suddenly trembling all over. "I have known about it for months, ma'am. That's why Nanoha Takamachi must not put herself in peril. You are too important to lose!"

"What terrible things? Said Nanoha at once. "Who's plotting them?"

Vette made a funny choking sound and then banged her head frantically against the wall.

"All right!" cried Nanoha, grabbing the Twi'lek's arm to stop her. "You can't tell me. I understand. But why are you warning _me_?" A sudden, unpleasant thought struck her. "Hang on – this hasn't got anything to do with Ste – sorry – with the Dark Queen, has it? You could just shake or nod," she added hastily as Vette's head tilted dangerously close to the wall again. Slowly, Vette shook her head.

"Not – not the Queen of Darkness, ma'am –"

But Vette's eyes were wide and she seemed to be trying to give Nanoha a hint. Nanoha, however, was completely lost.

"She hasn't got a brother or sister, has she?" Vette shook her head, her eyes wider than ever. "Well tehn, I can't think who else would have a chance of making horrible things happen at St. Hilde. I mean, the is Carim-Sama, for one thing – you Carim-Sama is, don't you?"

"Carim Gracia is the greatest headmistress St. Hilde has ever had," said Vette. "I heard rumors that Carim's powers rival those of the Queen of Darkness at the height of her power. But, ma'am – " Vette's voice dropped to an urgent whisper – "there are powers Carim doesn't…powers no decent mage…"

And before Nanoha could stop her, Vette bounded off the bed, seized Nanoha's desk lamp, and started beating herself around the head with an earsplitting yelp. A sudden silence fell downstairs. Two seconds later Nanoha, heart thudding madly, heard Uncle Kenji coming into the hall, calling, "Kenta must have left his television on again, the little devil!"

"Quick! In the closet!" hissed Nanoha, pushing Vette in, shutting the door, and flinging herself onto the bed just as the door handle turned.

"What – the – _hell _– are – you – doing?" said Uncle Kenji through gritted teeth, his face horribly close to Nanoha's. "You've just ruined the punch line of my American golfer joke…one more sound and you'll wish you had never been born, girl!"

He stomped flat-footed from the room. Shaking, Nanoha let Vette out of the closet.

"See what it's like here?" she said. "See why I've got to go back to St. Hilde? It's the only I've got – well, I _think_ I've got friends."

"Friends who don't even _write_ to you for your birthday?" said Vette slyly.

"Well, I think they've just been – wait a minute," said Nanoha frowning. "How do _you_ know my friends haven't been writing to me? For that matter, how did you even know my birthday was today?"

"Uh…" Vette stammered, shuffling her feet. "Now please don't be angry with me. I only did what I thought was best – "

"**There is a probability that she has been intercepting your messages, master,**" said Raising Heart. "**She may also be the one who has been interfering with my communications. I have been inexplicitly locked out of the Dimensional Network System for over a month.**"

"You've been stopping my letters?" said Nanoha.

"I have them right here, ma'am," said the Twi'lek. Stepping nimbly out of Nanoha's reach, she pulled a thick wad of envelopes out of the air like magic. Nanoha could make out Fate's neat writing, Hayate's untidy scrawl, Teana's stiff type, Subaru hasty signature, and even a scribble that looked as though it was sent from Schach. It looks like Erio, Caro, and Fried had also sent her a package for her birthday. Vette blinked anxiously at Nanoha.

"Now you shouldn't get upset, Nanoha…I had just hoped…if you thought your friends had forgotten you…you might not want to go back to school…" Nanoha wasn't listening. She made a grab for the letters, but Vette bounced out of her reach. "I'll let you have them, Nanoha, if you give me your word that you will not return to St. Hilde. Please, ma'am, there is a danger you must not face! Say you won't go back!"

"No," said Nanoha angrily. "Give me my friend's letters!"

"Then you leave me no other choice, said the Twi'lek sadly.

Before Nanoha knew what happened, Vette kicked her to the floor, darted to the bedroom door, pulled it open, and sprinted down the stairs. Mouth dry, stomach lurch, Nanoha sprang after her, trying not to make a sound. She jumped the last six steps, landing catlike on the hall carpet, looking around for Vette. From the dining room she heard Uncle Kenji saying, "…tell Kurima that very funny story about those funny Italian plumbers, Mr. Yamato. She's been dying to hear…"

Nanoha ran up the hall into the kitchen and felt her stomach disappear. Aunt Kurima's masterpiece of a cake, the red velvet layered in cream and sugared violets, was floating up near the ceiling. In the corner of the kitchen near the backdoor crouched Vette, her hands motioned in the direction of the cake to keep it afloat.

"No," croaked Nanoha. "Please…they'll kill me…"

"All you have to do is say that you won't go back to school –"

"Vette…please…"

"Say it – "

"I can't – "

"Then I have no choice, Nanoha," said Vette with a tragic look. "It's for your own good."

The cake fell to the floor with a heart-stopping crash. Cream splattered the windows and walls as the dish shattered. When Nanoha looked back at Vette, the backdoor had quietly snapped shut. There were screams from the dining room and Uncle Kenji burst into the kitchen to find Nanoha, rigid with shock, covered from head to toe in Aunt Kurima's dessert.

At first, it looked as though Uncle Kenji had managed to gloss the whole thing over. (Just our niece – very disturbed – meeting strangers upsets her, so we kept her upstairs…") He shooed the shocked Yamatos back into the dining room, promised Nanoha he would flay her to within an inch of her life when the Yamatos had left, and handed her a mop. Aunt Kurima dug some ice cream out of the freeze and Nanoha, still shaking, started scrubbing the kitchen clean. Uncle Kenji might still have been able to make his deal – if it hadn't been for the Fay.

Aunt Kurima was just collecting everyone's empty bowls when a huge, bat-winged Fay swopped through the dining room window, dropped a letter on Mrs. Yamato's head, and swooped out again. Mrs. Yamato screamed like a banshee and ran from the house shouting about lunatics. Mr. Yamato stayed just long enough to tell the Henkens that his wife was deathly afraid of bats and to ask whether this was their idea of a joke.

Nanoha stood in the kitchen, clutching the mop for support, as Uncle Kenji advanced on her, a demonic glint in his tiny eyes.

"Read it!" he hissed evilly, brandishing the letter the Fay had delivered. "Go on – read it!"

Nanoha took it. It did not conatin a birthday card.

_**Dear Miss Takamachi,**_

_**We have received intelligence that a levitation spell was used at your place of residence this evening at twelve minutes past nine.**_

_**As you know, underage mages are not permitted to perform spells outside school, and further magic on your part may lead to expulsion from said school (Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Magic, Paragraph 7, Subsection B).**_

_**We would also ask you to remember that any magical activity that risks notice my members of the non-magical community (Machlos) on a Non-Administrated World is a serious offense under section 13 of the Interdimensional Confederation of Mages' Statute of Secrecy.**_

_**Enjoy your holiday!**_

_**Yours sincerely,**_

_**Serena Earls  
Magical Observation Department  
Time-Space Administration Bureau**_

Nanoha looked up from the letter and gulped.

"You didn't tell us you weren't allowed to use magic outside school," said Uncle Kenji, a mad gleam dancing in his eyes. "Forgot to mention it…slipped your mind, I daresay…" he was bearing down on Nanoha like a great bulldog, all his teeth bared. "Well, I've got news for you, girl…I'm locking you up…you're never going back to that school…never…and if you try and magic yourself out – they'll expel you!"

And laughing like a maniac, he dragged Nanoha back upstairs.

Uncle Kenji was as bad as his word. The following morning, he paid a man to fit bars on Nanoha's windows. He himself fitted a cat-flap in the bedroom door, so small amounts of food could be pushed inside three times a day. They let Nanoha out to use the bathroom morning and evening. Otherwise, she was locked in her room around the clock.

* * *

Three days later, the Henkens were showing no sign of relenting, and Nanoha couldn't see any way out of her situation. She lay on her bed watching the sun sinking behind the bars on her window and wondered miserably what was going to happen to her. What was the good of using Divine Buster to blast herself free if St. Hilde would expel her for doing it? Yet life at Erika Road had reached an all-time low. Now that the Henkens knew they weren't going to wake up as fruit bats, she had lost her only weapon. Vette might have saved Nanoha from horrible happenings at St. Hilde, but the way things were going, she would probably starve to death anyway.

The cat-flap rattled and Aunt Kurima's hand appeared, pushing a bowl of canned soup into the room. Nanoha, whose insides were aching with hunger, jumped off her bead and seized it. The soup was stone-cold, but she drank half of it in one gulp. Then she crossed the room to Lucy's cage and tipped the soggy vegetables at the bottom of the bowl into her empty food tray. She flapped her butterfly wings irritably and gave her a look of deep disgust.

"It's no good turning your nose up at it – that's all we've got," said Nanoha grimly.

She put the empty bowl back on the floor next to the cat-flap and lay back down on the bed, somehow even hungrier than she had been before the soup. Supposing she was still alive in another three weeks, what would happen if she didn't turn up at St. Hilde? Would someone be sent to see why she hadn't come back? Would they be able to make the Henkens let her go?

The room was growing dark. Exhausted, stomach rumbling, mind spinning over the same unanswerable questions, Nanoha fell into an uneasy sleep. She dream that she was on show in a zoo, with a card reading UNDERAGE MAGE attached to her cage. People goggled through the bars as she lay, starving and weak, on a bed of straw. She saw Vette's face in the crowd and shouted out, asking for help, but Vette called, "You'll be safe in there, Nanoha!" and vanished. Then the Henkens appeared and Kenta rattled the bars of the cage, laughing at her.

"Stop it," Nanoha muttered as the rattling pounded in her sore head. "Leave me alone…cut it out…ugh, why can't I have a normal dream…?"

"**Master…**"

Nanoha opened her eyes. Moonlight was shining through the bars on the window, reflecting off Raising Heart's smooth surface. When she looked up, she noticed that someone _was_ goggling through the bars at her: a brunette, short-haired, mischievous-looking someone.

Hayate Yagami was outside Nanoha's window.

* * *

**Cut! Print! Now starting the wrap party for the end of chapter two. Next chapter is one I will be particularly looking forward to writing, the Yagami Family. We finally get to meet the entire Yagami family and see their home, learn what it is they do inside and out of St. Hilde, and discover the secret origins of Hayate and her siblings. Please look forward to it.**

**On a side note, I am still in the planning stages of a new original story I have in mind, but it will take some time to figure it all out. If some of the more experienced writers would like to PM me to help me out, I would help things move faster. If not, that's cool. Just know that I am giving it my all to make this story happen.**


	3. The Yagami Orphanage

**Nanoha and the Tomb of Shadows**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

* * *

**Chapter Three: The Yagami Orphanage**

"_Hayate-Chan!_" breathed Nanoha, creeping to the window and pushing it up so they could talk through the bars. "Hayate-Chan, how did you – what the – "

Nanoha's mouth fell open as the full impact of what she was seeing hit her. Hayate was learning over the open compartment of a sleek-black, futuristic-looking car, which was parked _in midair_. Grinning at Nanoha from the front seats were Agito and Rein, Hayate's elder twin sisters.

"What is _that?_" asked Nanoha dumbfounded.

"**I believe they have stolen the Batmobile, Master,**" said Raising Heart.

"We didn't steal it," said Agito. "We just borrowed it without permission."

"What's been going on?" said Hayate. "Why haven't you been answering my letters? I've asked you about twelve times, and then Zafira came home and said you had gotten an official warning for using magic on an Non-Administrated World – "

"It wasn't me – and how did he know?"

"He works for the TSAB," said Hayate. "You _know _we're not supposed to do spells outside of school – "

"You should talk," said Nanoha, staring at the floating car.

"This isn't magic, its technology," said Hayate. "Made from a fusion of Kryptonian and Martian materials and driven by a Thanagarian Nth metal generator. Technically speaking, we're not breaking any rules – unless you count trespassing and grand theft Batmobile. But doing magic in front of those Machlos you live with – "

"I told you, I didn't – but it will take too long to explain now – look, can you tell them at St. Hilde that the Henkens have locked me up and won't let me come back, and obviously I can't use magic to get myself out, because the TSAB will think that's the second spell I've done in three days, so – "

"If you can shut up for five minutes," said Hayate. "We've come to take you home with us."

"But you can't use magic either – "

"Who needs magic when you have an arsenal of bat-themed gadgets in the trunk," said Agito, twirling a handheld gadget like a cowboy in those old western movies. "Just stand back and try not to make a sound."

That was rich coming from someone who had launched a crate of fireworks in the Infinity Library – the librarian, Yuuno, still had nightmares. But nonetheless, Nanoha moved back into the shadows next to Lucy, who seemed to have realized how important this was and kept still and silent. Agito learned over the edge of the Batmobile and pressed the nozzle of the device against the edges of the bars. In less than a minute, a funny hissing was followed by the smell of burning metal and Agito grabbed the bars before effortlessly ripping out of place, silently dropping them into the lawn below. Nanoha listened anxiously, but there was no sound from the Henken's bedroom.

"Get in," Hayate urged.

"But all my St. Hilde stuff – my Barrier Jacket – my spell books – "

"Where are they?"

"Locked in the basement, and I can't get out of the room – "

"No problem," said Rein from the front passenger seat. "Out of the way, Nanoha."

Agito and Rein climbed catlike through the window into Nanoha's room. You had to hand it to them, thought Nanoha, as Rein took an ordinary hairpin from her pocket and started to pick the lock.

"A lot of mages think it's a waste of time, knowing this sort of Machlos trick," said Agito, "but we feel they are skills worth learning, even if they are a bit slow."

There was a small click and the door swung open.

"So – we'll get your bags – you grab anything you need from your room and hand it out to Hayate," whispered Rein.

"Watch out for the bottom stair – it creaks," Nanoha whispered back as the twins disappeared onto the dark landing.

Nanoha dashed around her room, collecting her things and passing them out of the window to Hayate. Then she went to help Agito and Rein heave her bags up the stairs. Nanoha heard Uncle Kenji cough. At last, panting, they reached the landing, and then carried the bags through Nanoha's room to the open window. Agito climbed back into the Batmobile with Hayate, passing the bags to each other and dropping them into the spacious trunk. Uncle Kenji coughed again.

"Okay, that's everything," Rein whispered. "Let's go."

But as Nanoha climbed onto the windowsill there came a sudden rattling sound from behind her, followed immediately by the thunder of her uncle's voice.

"THAT DAMN FAIRY!"

"I forgot Lucy!"

Nanoha tore back across the room as the landing light clicked on –she snatched up Lucy's cage, dashed to the window, and passed it out to Hayate. She was scrambling back onto the chest of drawers when Uncle Kenji hammered on the unlocked door – and it crashed open. for a split second, Uncle Kenji stood framed in the doorway; then he let out a bellow like an angry bull and dived at Nanoha, grabbing her by the ankle. Hayate, Agito, and Rein seized Nanoha's arms and pulled as hard as they could.

"Kurima!" roared Uncle Kenji. "She's getting away! SHE'S GETTING AWAY!"

But Nanoha had enough and pushed off Uncle Kenji with an impressive kick to the face – Nanoha was in the Batmobile – she had slammed the door shut –

"Punch it, Agito!" yelled Hayate, and the Batmobile shot suddenly toward the moon.

Nanoha couldn't believe it – she was free. She tilted her head out the side, the night air whipping in her hais, and looked back at the shrinking rooftops of Erika Road. Uncle Kenji, Aunt Kurima, and Kenta were all hanging, dumbstruck, out of Nanoha's window.

"See you next year!" Nanoha yelled.

The Yagami roared with laughter and Nanoha settled back in her seat, grinning from ear to ear. For a moment, she was wondering how they would get to Mid-Childa in the Batmobile, then Agito activated something called a "Boom Tube" on the car's computer. A thunderous boom ripped through the air and a light tunnel appeared in the sky as they disappeared through it. It was a lot like the Dimensional Transfer spell, only with the convenience of a flying car.

"Let Lucy out," Nanoha told Hayate. "She can fly behind us. She hasn't had a chance to stretch her wings for ages."

Rein handed the hairpin to Hayate and, a moment later, Lucy was floating joyfully around the roof of the Batmobile, giving everyone a cheery pixie dance that made her look like a music box ballerina.

"So – what's the story, Nanoha?" said Hayate impatiently. "What's been happening?"

Nanoha told them all about Vette, the warning she had given Nanoha and the fiasco of the red velvet cake. There was a long, shocked silence when she had finished.

"Very finshy," said Agito finally.

"Definitely suspicious," agreed Rein. "So she wouldn't even tell you who's supposed to be plotting all this stuff?"

"I don't think she could," said Nanoha. "I told you, every time she got close to letting something slip, she started banging her head against the wall." She saw Agito and Rein look at each other. "What, you think she was lying to me?"

"Well," said Agito, "put it this way – Twi'leks are one of the species that can use a different kind of magic called the Force, but slaves can't usually use it without their master's permission. I think old Vette was sent to stop you from coming back to St. Hilde. Someone's idea of a joke. Can you think of anyone at school with a grudge against you?"

"Yes," said Nanoha and Hayate together, instantly.

"Yuri Eberwein," Nanoha explained. "She hates me."

"Yuri Eberwein?" said Rein, turning around. "Not Dearche Eberwein's daughter?"

"Must be, it's not a very common name, is it?" said Nanoha. "Why?"

"I've heard Zafira talking about her," said Rein. "She was a big supporter of the Dark Queen."

"And when the Dark Queen disappeared," said Agito, craning around to look at Nanoha, "Dearche Eberwein came back saying she had never meant any of it. Load of crap – Zafira thinks she was right in the Dark Queen's inner circle."

Nanoha had heard these rumors about the Eberwein family before, and they didn't surprise her at all. Yuri made Kenta Henken look like a kind, thoughtful, and sensitive boy.

"I don't know whether the Eberweins own a slave…" said Nanoha.

"Well, whoever owns her will be an old magical family, and they will be rich," said Hayate. "I heard the Testarossa's have a Twi'lek slave, but I doubt Fate would send her servant to keep her best friend away."

"Shamal is always wishing we had a servant to do the ironing," said Rein. "But the most we have is a nest of gremlins that like to sneak food from our panty every once in a while. Slaves are very expensive and usually go to big manors or castles and places like that; you wouldn't catch one in our house…"

Nanoha was silent. Judging by the fact that Yuri Eberwein usually had the best of everything, her family was rolling in credits; she could just see Yuri strutting around in a large manor house. Sending the family servant to stop Nanoha from going back to St. Hilde also sounded exactly like the sort of thing Yuri would do. Had Nanoha been stupid to take Vette seriously?"

"I'm glad we came to get you, anyway," said Hayate. "I was getting really worried when you didn't answer any of my letters. I thought it was Makarov's fault at first – "

"Who's Makarov?"

"Our Fay. He's ancient. It wouldn't be the first time he had collapsed on delivery. So then I tried to borrow Gajeel – "

"_Who?_"

"The Fay Zafira bought Signum when she was made a school Knight," said Agito from the front.

"But Signum wouldn't lend him to me," said Hayate. "And she threatened to shave me bald if I ever asked again."

"Signum's been acting very strange this holiday," said Rein, frowning. "And she _has _been sending a lot of letters and spending a load of time shut up in her room…I mean, there's only so many times you can polish a Knight badge…"

"**So it is easily presumed that neither Batman nor Zafira are aware that you have 'borrowed' the Batmobile,**" said Raising Heart.

"Er, no," said Hayate, "Batman is out of town and Zafira had to work tonight. Hopefully we'll be able to get it back into the Bat Cave before anyone notices its missing."

"What does Zafira do at the TSAB, anyway?"

"He's got the most awesome job there," said Hayate excitedly. "He works in the Wolkenritter – the cloud knights. In ancient times, the Wolkenritters were a group of specially selected knights that were entrusted to safeguard the Saint King, Olivie Sägebrecht. But since we really don't have a Saint King anymore, they most act as elite soldiers for dangerous missions or are assigned to guard very important people. I remember when Zafira told us about his mission to Zebes."

"What happened?"

"**The Battle of Zebes is a recent event in galactic history,**" explained Raising Heart. "**While much information is withheld by the TSAB, rumors leaked that seven Wolkenritters were sent to Zebes in a conjoined mission with bounty hunter, Samus Aran. Reports indicate that Space Pirates had infested the planet with parasitic organisms called Metroids. The Metroids were exterminated, but the planet was destroyed as a result.**"

"Zafira was one of the few survivors," said Agito with a gleam in her eye. "He told us all about the Metorids and how awesome Samus was. But after that, Zafira decided to stick with bodyguard duty. I guess even a tough guy like him gets scared. Signum worships Zafira, says she wants to join the Wolkenritter when she graduates."

"We're now exiting the Boom Tube," said Rein as the light tunnel disappeared around them. "We should be at our house in ten minutes…just as well, it's getting light…"

A faint pinkish glow was visible along the horizon to the east. Agito brought the Batmobile lower, and Nanoha saw a dark patchwork of field and clumps of trees. If Nanoha had studied Mid-Childa's geography correctly, she would have guessed that they were somewhere in Southern Mid-Childa, close to the Altseim District – Raising Heart confirmed this. Lower and lower went the Batmobile the edge of a brilliant red sun was now gleaming through the trees.

"Touchdown!" said Agito as, with a slight bump, they hit the ground. They had landed next to a tumbledown garage in a small yard, and Nanoha looked for the first time at Hayate's house.

It was a very wide; two story building that looked like one wrong breath could bring it down. The wooden paneling was broken and cracked in several places, some stones were propped under the building's support to keep it level, there were a few broken windows patched together by tape and paper, and quite a number of tiles were missing from the roof. Two or three chimneys were perched on top of the broken down building. A lopsided sign stuck in the ground near the entranced read, THE YAGAMI ORPHANAGE. Around the front door lay a jumble of rubber boots and a very rusty pot. Several fat brown chickens were pecking their way around the yard.

"It's not much," said Hayate.

"It's _wonderful_," said Nanoha happily, thinking of Erika Road. "So you guys run an orphanage?"

"No, this is where we all grew up," said Rein. "We all came here at one time or another and we've been here even after the place closed down due to lack of funds – our surname actually comes from this place, you know."

So they were all orphaned like her – Nanoha felt a greater appreciation for the Yagamis. They all got out of the Batmobile, but they had to wait until Agito finished pulling out the wheelchair before Rein settled her little sister in it. Seeing one of her best friends confined in that chair brought back horrible memories of last year's adventure and the horrible guilt that came with it. A day doesn't go by where Nanoha wonders how things might have been if _she _was the one to stay behind. Maybe Hayate wouldn't be where she was…

"Now, we'll go to our rooms very quietly," said Agito, "and wait for Shamal to come wake us up. Then, Hayate, you come into the kitchen, 'Shamal, look who's turned up in the middle of the night!' and she'll be all pleased to see Nanoha and no one will need to know we flew the Batmobile."

"Right," said Hayate. "Come on, Nanoha, I sleep on the – on the other – "

Hayate had gone a nasty greenish color, her eyes fixed on the house. The other three wheeled around. Shamal Yagami was marching across the yard, scattering chickens, and for such a kind-face woman, it was remarkable how much she looked like a saber-toothed tiger. Shamal came to a halt, her hands on her hips, staring from one guilty face to the next. She was wearing a flowered apron with her ring Device, Klarwind, glittering at her fingers.

"_So?_" she said.

"Morning, Shamal," said Rein, in what he clearly thought was a jaunty, winning voice.

"Do you have any idea how worried I've been?" said Shamal in a deadly whisper.

"Sorry, Shamal, but see, we had to – "

"_Beds empty! No note! And I get a call from Bruce Wayne saying his property has been stolen by you three! Do you realize the consequences of your actions? You just wait until your brother gets home, we never had trouble like this with Signum – "_

"Super Signum," Agito muttered.

"YOU COULD DO WITH TAKING A LEAF OUT OF SIGNUM'S BOOK!" yelled Shamal, prodding a finger in Agito's chest. "You could have _died_, you could have been _seen_, not to mention with Hayate in her condition – " It seemed to go on for hours. Shamal had shouted herself hoarse before she turned on Nanoha, who backed away. "I'm very pleased to see you, Nanoha, dear. Come on in and I'll make you some breakfast – "

"NO!" The Yagamis screamed together.

"Nanoha is a guest, Shamal," said Hayate sweetly. "We don't want to give her food poisoning on the first day here. Let me handle breakfast."

"Oh – ok…" said Shamal, sounding disappointed not to serve toxic pancakes.

Shamal grabbed the bars of Hayate's wheelchair and carted her back into the house and Nanoha, after a nervous lance at Agito and Rein, who nodded encouragingly, followed them. The kitchen was quite large, but looked just as rundown as the rest of the house. There was a scrubbed table and chairs in the middle, and Nanoha sat down on the edge of her seat, looking around. She had never been in a magical home before.

The clock on the wall opposite of her had only one hand and no numbers at all. Written around the edge were things like _Time to make tea, Time to feed the chickens, _and _You're late. _Books were stacked three deep on the mantelpiece, books with titles like _Charm Your Own Cheese, Enchanted Delights, _and _One Minute Feasts – It's Magic!_ And unless Nanoha's ears were deceiving her, the old radio next to the sink had just announced that coming up was "Magic Hour, with popular guest stars, the Machlos high school light music club, Ho-Kago Tea Time."

Hayate was amazing in the kitchen. Even though she was at a disadvantage with her paralysis, she maneuvered her way around the kitchen with ease, throwing sausage and cracking eggs into the frying pan. Nanoha assumed that Hayate was the cook of the family. Shamal took a seat next to Nanoha, shooting dirty looks at her younger sisters. Every now and then she muttered things like "don't know _what _you were thinking of" and "_never _would have believed it."

"I don't blame _you, _dear," she assured Nanoha as Hayate tipped four sausages on her plate. "Zafira and I have been worried about you, too. Just last night we were saying we would come and get you ourselves if you hadn't written back to Hayate by Friday. But really, stealing the Batmobile from the Dark Knight to another world – anyone could have seen you – "

"It was _cloudy,_ Shamal!" said Agito.

"You keep your mouth shut while you're eating!" Shamal snapped.

"They were starving him, Shamal!" said Rein.

"And that goes double for you!" said Shamal.

At that moment there was a diversion in the form of a small, redheaded figure in a long nightdress, who appeared in the kitchen, and locked eyes with Nanoha, who had dropped her half eaten toast. Nanoha well remembered Vita, who seemed to have struck up a rivalry with her since their first meeting for reasons she didn't know. Nanoha jumped out of her seat and tried to make a run for it, but Vita had already tackled her to the floor and had her in a leglock. She wanted to tap out, but the little redhead wasn't giving her any mercy.

"Vita!" shouted Shamal, ripping the two girls apart. "What have I told you about tackling guests in the house?"

"Only do it outside so that I don't break anything," Vita pouted as Shamal dropped her in a chair. "But it wouldn't matter cause I totally owned her, right?"

"Why does this always happen to me?" moaned Nanoha.

The other girls were laughing at their gust's expense until they caught Shamal's eye and bent their faces over their plates without another word. Nothing more was said until everyone's plates were clean, which took surprisingly short time.

"_Saint King,_ I'm tired," yawned Agito, setting down her knife and fork at last. "I think I'll go to bed and – "

"You will not," snapped Shamal. "It's your own fault for being up all night. You're going to go outside and clean the yard of those gremlins; they've been digging holes and throwing rocks again – Rein will be helping you. And since you're already up, we may as well go through with your morning examination, Hayate. You can go to bed if you want, Nanoha. You didn't ask them to fly all the way out there – "

But Nanoha, who felt wide awake, said Nanoha quickly, "I'll help with the examination if you want. Hayate-Chan is my friend – "

"That's very sweet of you, Nanoha, but you really don't have to," said Shamal. "Now, let's see what Tsukishima has to say on the subject – "

And she pulled a heavy book from the stack on the mantelpiece. Rein groaned.

"Shamal, you don't need advice from that two-faced creep – you're already a good doctor."

Nanoha looked at the cover of Shamal's book. Written across it in fancy gold letters were the words _Shūkurō Tsukishima Guide to Magical Medication. _There was a big photograph on the front of a suave-looking man with wavy black hair and chocolate-brown eyes. The man, who Nanoha supposed was Shūkurō Tsukishima, was indeed very good looking, but kind of sent chills down her spine. Shamal, on the other hand, was beaming down at him.

"Oh, he is marvelous," she said. "He knows his way around many subjects including medicine, alchemy, and even knows how to make an excellent flambé…"

"Shamal's got a thing for him," said Agito, in a very audible whisper.

"Don't be ridiculous, Agito," said Shamal, her cheeks rather pink. "Don't you have some gremlins you need to take care of? If I find a single one when I come for an inspection, it will be on your hide. Come along, Hayate, we have plenty to do this morning."

Yawning and grumbling, the Yagami Twins slouched outside while Shamal wheeled Hayate into another room with Nanoha following behind – Vita was glaring daggers at her as she walked away. Shamal led them down to what used to be the nurses office and opened the door to let them in. In comparison to the rest of the orphanage, the office was undamaged and looked like it had been cleaned recently. The pure-white wall tiles were polished to the point where Nanoha could see herself in them, the medicine cabinet was fully stocked, the patient's table was primed and ready, and the desk, which she assumed was Shamal's, was stacked with papers and x-rays.

Hayate stopped at the table and allowed herself to be lifted by Shamal. The mother hen of the Yagamis put on an official looking doctor's coat, taking a seat next to Hayate, asking her questions about how she had been feeling lately when feeling the muscles in her legs. Nanoha, who hadn't the slightest clue what to do in a medical examination, took a seat in a free chairs and was content with watching them.

"Hmm, the muscles in your legs still aren't contracting normally," Shamal hummed, taking notes on her clipboard. "Have you been stretching them out every morning and before you go to bed? Constant movement can help revitalize the blood flow."

"I've been trying, but sometimes I'm just too tired to do it," said Hayate.

"That's no excuse," said Shamal sternly. "If you want to heal your legs faster, you need to do a minimum of thirty minutes of exercise every day. And be sure to eat plenty of carbohydrates, preferably whole wheat and whole grain foods."

"Yes, Shamal," said Hayate.

"Wow, you're amazing, Shamal," said Nanoha in awe. "It must be nice having a doctor in the house."

"Oh, I'm not a real doctor," said Shamal sheepishly. "I only work as a part time nurse at the Saint King Hospital. Though I'm hoping that once Vita is grown up and graduated from St. Hilde, I could go back to school and try for a medical degree."

"Hey, now that I think about…" said Nanoha thoughtfully. "I've never really seen you around St. Hilde before…looking at you, I would think that you and Signum were about the same age."

"Actually, Signum is four months older than me," said Shamal, tapping Hayate's kneecap. "I bet you're probably wondering why we're the same age and yet I haven't gone to school yet. Well, back when we were eleven, Signum and I got our letters to St. Hilde at the same time. But around that time, Zafira was already in school as well and we had no one to take care of the others since the orphanage had closed down."

"Signum wanted to stay and let Shamal go to school," Hayate continued. "But Shamal made her case – Signum's not exactly the best when it comes to household chores. So Shamal decided to stay behind to take care of us while Zafira and Signum went off to St. Hilde. Saying out loud makes me feel kinda bad that I'm going instead of her…"

"Don't say things like that," snapped Shamal. "I made my choice a long time ago. I can go back to school any time, but my family still needs me. And besides, it's because I stayed here that I had so many wonderful experiences – Hayate's first steps, Vita's first words, even Agito and Rein's first prank. These are things I wouldn't give up for all the credits in Mid-Childa."

"**Shamal is an amazing human,**" said Raising Heart.

"She really is," Nanoha muttered.

Just then, the front door slammed.

"He's back!" said Hayate. "Zafira's back!"

There was a struggle with Shamal getting her excitable sister back in her wheelchair without hurting her. They hurried through the hallways and back into the kitchen. Zafira Yagami was slumped in a chair with his hands over his eyes, looking exhausted. He was easily a head taller than Signum, who was pretty tall in her own right, and very muscular with rich-tan skin and a mop of feathery-white hair. His Barrier Jacket was a sleeveless, blue coat and pants, a red belt with a golden chain, armored gloves, and plated boots.

"Saint King, what a night," he mumbled, groping for a muffin as the rest of the Yagamis joined them. "I spent half that night chasing down Zidane Tribal and his gang. And that rat girl tried to shoot me when my back was turned…"

"Did you get them, Zafira?" said Agito eagerly.

"Unfortunately, no," Zafira groaned. "When they told me I had to safeguard the Queen's treasure, I thought the most I would have to worry about was common thieves – there is nothing common about Zidane Triabl's group. What do you expect from a monkey-child, a princess, a no-faced midget, a fat knight, a two-legged rat, a thing with a freaky long tongue, a tiny brat, and a blood-thirsty monk? I swear, I thought I had seen it all. The only good news is that we stopped them from taking the treasure."

"Well, it's all over now," said Shamal kindly, giving him a plate of Hayate's sausage and eggs. "You're back home, safe and sound, and Nanoha has come to visit us."

"Nanoha?" said Zafira blankly. "Nanoha who?" he looked around, saw Nanoha, and spat his orange juice into Vita's face – karma was good, Nanoha thought. "Saint King, is it Nanoha Takamachi? Very pleased to meet you, Hayate's told us so much about you."

"And she talks about you a lot," said Nanoha. "Is it true that you fought a bunch of parasite monsters with a bounty hunter and made a whole planet explode?"

"Have you been telling her that old story?" asked Zafira; the girls laughed. "Yes, but it wasn't my fault, Samus tripped me my hand just happened to hit the self-destruct button. I'm just lucky Samus took the blame for it or else I'd be out of a job."

"Though you did get Samus's number out of it, didn't ya?" Rein teased.

"Shut up!" snapped Zafira embarrassingly.

The Yagamis laughed as the patriarch of the family lowered his burning-red face, quickly eating his breakfast without looking at everyone. Looking around, Nanoha could see that despite the rough morning, everyone was smiling and laughing, just like a real family should. It remembered Nanoha of the nights she had spent staring at the Hogyoku, sitting around the table with her deceased family, acting just like them. Though as she looked between the Zafira and her younger siblings, a thought occurred to her – one she had tucked away since arriving.

"Er, I hope I'm not rude in asking," Nanoha said suddenly, drawing everyone's attention. "But now that I think about it, none of you have any similarities – hairs, eyes, size, skin – nothing. If you all grew up in an orphanage, does that mean none of you are related."

"It's not rude at all, Nanoha," Zafira said kindly. "Yes, it's true that none of us are related by blood, but that doesn't make us any less of a family. We all ended up in the orphanage for a lot of reasons – dead parents, abandonment, and running away. We all wanted to go to nice families, but some things just didn't work out for us. I was already too old for most parents to adopt, Signum kinda scared everyone, Shamal didn't want to leave without Signum, Agito and Rein were trouble makers, Vita always bit the adults, and no one could ever find Hayate because she was shy.

"Things got worse when the orphanage ran out of money to keep things going. All seven of us were the only ones left and we were about to be shipped off to foster homes when Carim-Sama showed up on our doorstep – she hadn't been made headmistress back then. Carim-Sama told us about St. Hilde and Linker Cores and the Time-Space Administration Bureau – she said that all of us could attend St. Hilde if we wanted to. That was when she gave me my letter. I was worried that I would have to leave the girls behind, but then Carim-Sama said she would buy the orphanage and place it in our name."

"Carim-Sama bought the orphanage?" said Nanoha impressively.

"The orphanage and the land that goes with it," Shamal smiled. "She's also that one that's been providing financial support for all our school supplies and necessities such as heating, water, and electricity. Carim-Sama has done so much for our family – we'll always be grateful to her."

"Carim-Sama is a great person," Nanoha nodded.

"Nanoha, you're probably tired after a long night," said Hayate as she rolled around the table. "Come on, I'll show you my room. You'll be sleeping with me for now."

Waving good bye to the Yagamis, Nanoha and Hayate slipped out of the kitchen and down a lengthy hallway. As they passed by each door, Nanoha secretly took a peek in each room hoping to get an idea of what the Yagamis were like outside of school. Zafira's room was full of weights, punching bags, and training equipment, which was understandable considering his line of work. Shamal's room was neat and tidy – not a speck of dust to be found – but the opening in her closet could tell her where Hayate got her cosplay fetish. Agito and Rein's room was, as expected, a total wreck with boxes of ranks and fireworks littered around the floor. The biggest surprise was Vita's room. Instead of mallets and a wrestling ring like Nanoha had expected, it was cluttered with mountains of cute stuffed animals, particularly bunny rabbit dolls.

"Vita may act tough," said Hayate, taking notice of Nanoha's examination, "but she's still a little girl and no little girl can resist cute things. Ah, here we are."

They reached a door with peeling paint and a small plaque on it, saying HAYATE'S ROOM. Nanoha stepped in, and had to rub her eyes to make sure they were working properly. It was like they had walked into the middle of a field: nearly everything in Hayate's room seemed to be a bold shade of green: the bedspread, the walls, even the ceiling. Then Nanoha realized that Hayate had covered nearly every inch of the shabby wallpaper with posters of the same seven mages, all wearing green uniforms.

"Your Riot Force team?" said Nanoha.

"The Belkan Blazers," said Hayate, pointing at the green bedspread, which was emblazoned with two giant silver B's and a flying squirrel, probably the team mascot. "They are sixth in the league."

Hayate's school books were stacked untidily in a corner, next to a pile of Earth manga like _Bleach, Naruto, One Piece, Fairy Tail, Soul Eater, _and _Magical Girl Lyrical Vivid._ Hayate's Devices, Schwertkreuz and the Tomb of the Knight Sky, were lying on top of a fish tank full of frog spawn on the windowsill, next to her sleek, golden ferret, Pabu, who was snoozing in a patch of sun.

Nanoha stepped over a pack of self-shuffling playing cards on the floor and looked out of the window. In the field close to the house she could see a gang of little green imps most likely the gremlins sneaking one by one back through the Yagami's hedge. Then she turned to look at Hayate, who was watching her almost nervously, as though waiting for her opinion.

"It's a bit small," said Hayate quickly. "Not like that room you had with the Machlos. And I'm right next to the area where the gremlins like to play; they're always banging on the window in the middle of the night…"

"But Nanoha, grinning widely, said, "This is the best house I've ever been in."

Hayate's ears went pink.

* * *

**Level three – completed! Proceeding to Level Four! Or at least I will eventually. I'm not sure if this chapter is all right or not – I used the basic setting but directed much of it to give more background on the Yagami family. But despite how it came out, I'm kinda glad to give Hayate's family a chance to tell their origins and how they, despite being so obviously different, were related in some way.**

**Next chapter is Nanoha's great blunder in Cranagan and the return of her fiendish rival along with the introduction of Dearche Eberwein and the new teacher of St. Hilde. So look forward to that.**


	4. Silent Hill

**Nanoha and the Tomb of Shadows**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

* * *

**Chapter Four: Silent Hill**

Life at the Yagami Orphanage was as different as possible from life on Erika Road. The Henkens liked everything neat and ordered; the Yagami's house burst with the strange and unexpected. Nanoha got a shock the first time she looked in the mirror over the kitchen mantelpiece and it shouted, "_Tuck your shirt in, scruffy!_" The gremlins prowling around the yard kicked over trashcans and threw rocks at windows whenever they felt things were too quiet, and small explosions from Agito and Rein's bedroom were considered perfectly normal. Hat Nanoha found most unusual about life at Hayate's, however, wasn't the talking mirror or the troublemaking gremlins: it was the fact that everybody there seemed to like her.

Shamal fussed over the state of her socks and kept insisting that Hayate make four helpings for her at every meal. Zafira liked sitting next to her at the dinner table so that he can tell her all the details of his adventures with the Walkenritter. He was just telling her how he had chased a pirate named Jack Sparrow all the way to Isla Cruces when they were attacked by Davy Jone's Kraken.

"So how did you escape?" asked Nanoha.

"We er…didn't exactly escape," Zafira said, looking a sickly shade of green. "The Kraken pretty much gobbled us up – took Sparrow all the way down to the Locker. Me, I had to um…wait for nature to take its course."

"Ew!"

Nanoha heard from St. Hilde one sunny morning about a week after she had arrived at the Orphanage. She and Hayate went to the kitchen for breakfast to find Shamal, Zafira, and Vita already at the table. While Hayate started gathering everything to eggs and bacon, Nanoha cautiously inspected her chairs, expecting Vita to have rigged it somehow. Ever since she had arrived at the Orphanage, Vita had already tackled her into the ground, pinned her in a headlock, snared her in multiple traps and somehow managed to sneak a family of beavers into her sleeping bag one night. Hayate said that Vita viewed her as a rival; Nanoha just thought she was trying to kill her.

"Letters from school," said Zafira, passing Nanoha and Hayate identical envelopes of pristine-white parchment, addressed in red ink. "Carim-Sama already knows you're here, Nanoha – doesn't miss a trick, that woman. You two have got them, too," he added, as Agito and Rein ambled in, still in their pajamas.

For a few minutes there was silence as they all read their letters. Nanoha's told her to catch the _Arthra _at Costal Airport 8 on April 1st. Last time she had arrived at the Airport, she had been transferred directly to the _Arthra _hanger with the Yagamis, so she was unaware of the airport's name or location. There was also a list of new books she would need for the coming year.

**Second-Year student will require:**

_Standard Book of Spells (Grade 2)_ by Evadine Caster  
_Battle of the Behemoth _by Shūkurō Tsukishima_  
Gunning for the Griffin_ by Shūkurō Tsukishima_  
Haggle with the Harpies_ by Shūkurō Tsukishima_  
Tangle with the Tengu_ by Shūkurō Tsukishima_  
Victim of Vampires_ by Shūkurō Tsukishima_  
Ways of the Wyvern_ by Shūkurō Tsukishima_  
Yearning for Yokai _by Shūkurō Tsukishima

Agito, who had finished her own list, peered over at Nanoha's

"You've been told to get all of Tsukishima's books, too!" she said. "The new Tactical Combat Instructor must be a fan – bet it's a chick. I wish we could have kept Jellal-Sensei for another year."

"This stuff isn't going to be cheap," said Rein, with a quick look to Shamal and Zafira. "Tsukishima's books are really expensive…"

"Well, we'll manage," said Shamal, but she looked worried. "We can use the credits we have to get Vita's Device and Barrier Jacket, but we may have to ask Carim-Sama for another loan. I really wish it didn't have to come to this – she's done so much for us already."

"Oh, Vita's starting at St. Hilde this year?" asked Nanoha.

The tiny redhead curtly nodded, forced to act civil under Shamal's heated gaze, but that didn't stop her from kicking Nanoha's shin underneath the table. Unfortunately no one saw this because just then the oldest of the St. Hilde students, Signum, walked in. she was already dressed, her School Knight badge pinned on her shirt.

"Morning, everyone," said Signum briskly. "Lovely day."

She sat down in the only remaining chair but leapt up again almost immediately, pulling from underneath her a shabby bright-orange bundle of cloth – at least, that was what Nanoha thought it was, until she saw that it was breathing.

"Makarov!" said Hayate, taking the limp Fay from Signum and extracting a letter tucked under its little hat. "_Finally _– he's got Fate's answer. I wrote to her saying we were going to try and rescue you from the Henkens."

She carried Makarov to a shelf just inside the back door and tried to stand him on it, but Makarov flopped straight off again so Hayate lay him on the draining board instead, muttering, "Pathetic." Then she ripped open Fate's letter and read it out loud.

"_Dear Hayate, and Nanoha if you're there,_

"_I hope everything went all right and that Nanoha is okay and that you didn't do anything illegal to get her out, Hayate, because that would get Nanoha into trouble, too. I've been really worried and if Nanoha is all right, will you please let me know at once, but maybe it would be better if you used a different Fay, because I think another delivery might finish your one off._

"_I've been busy with the World Brave Duel Tournament – I earned fourth in the league – _She placed fourth?" said Hayate in admiration. "She's so awesome! – '_and my family is going to Cranagan next Wednesday to buy my new books. Why don't we meet in front of Reichtum? Let me know what's happening as soon as you can. Signed, Fate Testarossa."_

"Well, that fits nicely, we can go and get all your things then, too," said Shamal, starting to clear the table. "What are you all up to today."

Nanoha, Agito, and Rein were planning to go up the hill to a small paddock the Yagami's owned to get in some Riot Force practice before they went back to school. Nanoha really wanted to invite Hayate to play with them, but it turned out that flying actually worsened the condition in her legs, but she told them that she need to make lunch anyway, probably to not making them feel guilty.

Five minutes later they were marching up the hill, Devices loaded and released into default form. They had asked Signum if she wanted to join them – Agito claimed that she was just as good as a professional player – but Signum had said she was busy. Nanoha had only seen Signum at mealtimes so far; she stayed shut in her room the rest of the time.

"I wish I knew what she was up to," said Agito, frowning. "She's not herself lately. Her exams came the day before you did; twelve S.T.A.R.s and she hardly gloated at all."

"Standard Testing Aptitude Results," Rein explained, seeing Nanoha's puzzled look. "Zafira got twelve, too. If we're not careful, we'll have another Saint in the family. I don't think I could stand the shame. Though I'm more worried about how Zafira and Shamal are going to afford all our school stuff this year. Five sets of Tsukishima books! And Vita needs her Barrier Jacket and Device and everything…Carim-Sama has to draw the line eventually, right?"

Nanoha said nothing. She felt a bit awkward. Stored away inside the walls of Reichtum in Cranagan was a small fortune that her parents had left her. Of course, it was only on Mid-Childa that she had money; you couldn't use credits on Earth. She had never mentioned her Reichtum account to the Henkens; she didn't think their horror of anything connected with magic would stretch to a large pile of money.

* * *

Shamal woke them all early the following Wednesday. After a quick half a dozen sausage, egg, and cheese sandwiches each, they pulled on their coats and Shamal thrust them out into the yard where Zafira slapped his hand on the ground, creating an indigo-white magic triangle.

"Everyone got their lists?" said Shamal. "We don't want to forget anything – it will be a long while before we can go shopping again. All right then, guests first. After you, Nanoha."

Nanoha stared at Shamal, then to Zafira, then to Shamal again.

"W-what am I supposed to do?" she stammered.

"She's never used a Transporter Spell before," said Hayate suddenly. "Sorry, Nanoha, I forgot?"

"I suppose that makes sense," grunted Zafira, stepping out of the triangle, which had turned gray. "If she was coming from Earth, then she probably used a Dimensional Transfer Spell to move directly into Central 46." He kneeled down to Nanoha's level "Dimensional Transfer and Transporter Spells are based on the same concept, but Transporter spells are only for short distances. Though if you've never used one before – "

"She'll be fine, Zafira," said Agito. "Nanoha, watch us first."

She took a step into the magic triangle, which had immediately changed to a purple glow. Slapping down her palm in the central circle of the triangle, Agito shouted, "Cranagan!" and a flash of purple light slingshot to the sky and she had vanished.

"You must speak clearly, Nanoha," Shamal told her as Rein entered the magic triangle, which had turned white. "And be sure to get out at the right Lock Point…"

"The right what?" said Nanoha nervously as Rein disappeared into the white light.

"Well, there are a lot of magical hotspots on Mid-Childa, some of them exist on the fault lines, but as long as you have spoken clearly – "

"She'll be fine, Shamal, don't make a fuss," said Zafira as Signum stepped into the now purple symbol.

"But, Zafira, if she got lost, how would we ever explain to her aunt and uncle?"

"They wouldn't mind," Nanoha reassured her. "Kenta would think it was hilarious if I ended up lost in the middle of the desert somewhere, don't worry about that – "

"Well…all right…you go after Signum," said Shamal. "Now, when you get into the symbol, slap the central circle, and say where you're going – "

"And keep your elbows tucked in," Hayate advised.

"And don't panic and get out too early; wait until you see Agito and Rein."

Trying hard to bear all this in mind, Nanoha stepped into the magical triangle and felt a sudden tingling sensation, noticing that her Mana was spilling out onto the symbol, turning it a shade of bright pink. She took a deep breath and slapped her hand into the ground, unsuspectingly scattering dirt into the air, most of which she swallowed.

"C-Cra-na-gan," she coughed.

It felt like she had been launched by a slingshot. She seemed to be spinning very fast, which she suspected was not supposed to happen. The roaring in her ears was deafening – she tried to keep her eyes open but the waves of pink Mana were making her sick – something knocked her elbow and she tucked it in tightly, still spinning and spinning – now it felt as though cold hands were slapping her face – her breakfast sandwiches were churning inside her – she closed her eyes again wishing it would stop, and then – she fell, face forward, onto cold stone.

Dizzy and bruised, covered in dirt, she got gingerly to her feet. She was quite alone, but _where _she was, she had no idea. All she could tell was that she was standing at the middle of what looked like a large, dimly lit magic shop – but nothing in here was ever likely to be on a St. Hilde school list.

A glass case nearby held a withered, scabby hand on a cushion, a blood-stained handgun, and a real eyeball that seemed to be watching her every move. Severed heads on pikes were lined along the wall, an assortment of human bones lay on the counter, and rusty, spiked instruments hung from the ceiling. Even worse, when Nanoha looked through the dusty shop window, she couldn't see anything three feet past the clouds of thick fog.

The sooner she got out of here, the better. Nose still stinging where it had hit the floor, Nanoha made her way swiftly and silently toward the door, but before she had got halfway toward it, two people appeared on the other side of the glass – and one of them was the very last person Nanoha wanted to meet when she was lost and covered in dirt: Yuri Eberwein.

Nanoha looked quickly around and spotted a large, silver capsule to her left, but when she opened it, she came face-to-face with a ten foot, leather-faced zombie in a black coat – she quietly closed it and jumped into a nearby black cabinet. Seconds later, a bell clanged, and Yuri stepped in the shop. The woman who followed could only be Yuri's mother. She had short, light-tan hair and an expression of self-importance. Ms. Eberwein crossed the shop, looking lazily at the items on display, and rang a bell on the counter before turning to her daughter and saying, "touch nothing, Yuri."

Yuri, who had reached for the veiny eyeball, said, "I thought you were going to buy me a present."

"I said I would buy you a systems upgrade," said her mother, drumming her fingers on the counter.

"What's the good of that if I'm not on the house team?" said Yuri, looking sulky and bad-tempered. "Nanoha Takamachi got a Hybrid Cartridge System last year. Special permission from Gracia so she could play for Kaiser. She's not even that good, it's just because she's _famous_…famous for have a stupid _scar_ on her flat chest…" She bent down to examine a shelf full of cracked skulls. "…everyone thinks she's so _smart_, wonderful _Takamachi_ with her_ scar_ and her stupid _Device_ – "

"**Permission to use Full Power Divine Buster,**" said Raising Heart heatedly.

"_No!_" Nanoha hissed.

"You have told me this at least a dozen times already," said Ms. Eberwein, with a quelling look at her daughter. "And I would remind you that it is not – prudent – to appear less than fond of Nanoha Takamachi, not when most of our kind regards her as a hero who made the Dark Queen disappear – ah, Mr. Wesker."

A tall, intimidating man had appeared behind the counter, put on a pair of dark sunglasses to cover his burning-red eyes.

"Lord Dearche, what a pleasure to see you again," said Mr. Wesker in a voice that sounded like death. "Delighted – and young Master Yuri, too – charmed. How may I be of assistance? I just got a new shipment of Plaga in today and they are very reasonably priced – "

"I'm no buying today, Albert, but selling," said Lord Dearche.

"Selling?" the smile faded slightly from Albert Wesker's face.

"You have heard, of course, that the TSAB is conduction more raids of potentially threatening households," said Lord Dearche, taking a roll of paper from her inside pocket and unraveling it for Wesker to read. "I have a few – ah – items at home that might embarrass me, if the TSAB were to call…"

"The Bureau has been troubling you lately?" said Wesker, looking down the list.

"I have not been visited yet," said Lord Dearche, her lip curled. "The name Eberwein still commands a certain respect, yet the Bureau grows ever more meddlesome. There are rumors about a new Machlos Protection Act – no doubt that flea-bitten, Machlos-loving mongrel Zafira Yagami is supporting it and as you can see, some of these poisons might make it _appear_ – "

"I understand, my lord, of course," said Wesker. "Let me see…"

"Can I have _that_?" interrupted Yuri, pointing at the scabby hand on its cushion.

"Ah, the Hand of Haos!" said Wesker, abandoning Lord Dearche's list and scurrying over to Yuri at blinding speed. " \Anyone who carries this can see the beating hearts of anyone around them, even it pitch-black. Best friend to thieves and murderers. Your daughter has fine taste, my lord."

"I hope my daughter will amount to more than a thief or a murderer, Albert," said Lord Dearche coldly, and Wesker said quickly, "No offense, my lord, no offense meant – "

"Though if her grades don't pick up," said Lord Dearche, more coldly still, "that may indeed be all she is fit for – "

"It's not my fault," retorted Yuri. "The teachers all have favorites, that Fate Testarossa – "

"Testarossa has better grades because her mother obviously has better disciplinary skills," snapped Lord Dearche. "Perhaps I should take a leaf out of her book. I would have thought you would be ashamed that a half-breed like that Lancaster girl beat you in every exam. Disgraceful."

"Raising Heart, what's a half-breed?" Nanoha whispered to her Device.

"**I would rather not say, Master,**" Raising Heart answered quietly.

"It's the same all over," said Wesker. "Magical blood is counting for less everywhere – "

"Not with me," said Lord Dearche, her nostrils flaring. "In any case, perhaps we can return to my list. I am in something of a hurry, Albert, I have important business elsewhere today – "

They started to haggle. Nanoha watched nervously as Yuri drew closer and closer to her hiding place, examining the objects for sale. Yuri paused to examine a long coil of hangman's rope and to read, smirking, a card propped on a vial of purple chemicals, _G-Virus Sample. Caution: do not touch – has claimed the lives of two populated Non-Administrated Worlds to date._ Yuri turned away and saw the cabinet right in front of her. She walked forward – she stretched out her hand for the handle –

"Done," said Lord Dearche at the counter. "Come, Yuri – " Nanoha wiped her forehead on her sleeve as Yuri turned away. "Good day to you, Mr. Wesker. I'll expect you at the manor tomorrow to pick up the goods."

Good day to yourself, _Lord _Dearche," said Wesker, dropping his polite nature the moment the door closed. "If the stories are true, you haven't sold me half of what's hidden in your _manor_…"

Muttering darkly, Wesker disappeared into the back room. Nanoha waited for a minute in case he came back, then, quietly as she could, slipped out of the cabinet, past the glass cases, and out the shop door. She emerged in a narrow street thick with impervious white fog filled back to back with shops that, upon closer inspection, were devoted to the Dark Arts. The one she had just left, Resident Evil, looked like the largest, but opposite was a nasty window display of severed arms on meat hooks and, two doors down, a large cage was alive with thrashing, flesh-hungry lizards. A hulking, bloodied man with a pyramid for a head walked past her, dragging along a gigantic knife. Feeling jumpy, Nanoha set off, hoping against hope she would be able to find a way out of here.

An old wooden street sign hanging over a shop of man-eating planets told her she was in Silent Hill. This didn't help, as Nanoha had never heard of such a place. She supposed she hadn't spoken clearly enough through her mouthful of dirt back at the Yagami Orphanage. Trying to stay calm, she wondered what to do.

"Not lost are you, little girl?" said a voice in her ear, making her jump.

An aged woman with spider legs on her lower half was hanging in front of her, holding a basket of what looked horribly like human fingers. She leered at her with all eight of her eyes. Nanoha backed away.

"I'm fine, thanks," she said. "I'm just – "

"NANOHA! What do you think you're doing down here?"

Nanoha's heart leapt. So did the spider-woman; a load of fingers cascaded down over the foggy street and she cursed as the form of Schach, the St. Hilde gamekeeper and Lady of the Saint Church, came striding through the haze.

"Schach!" Nanoha croaked in relief. "I was lost – Transporter Spell – "

Schach seized Nanoha by the scruff of the neck and pulled her away from the spider-woman, knocking the basket right out of her hands. Her shrieks followed them all the way along the twisting street, through the blinding fog, and out into bright sunlight. Nanoha saw the familiar pure-white, purple bannered building in the distance – Reichtum. Schach had steered her right into Cranagan.

"You're a mess!" said Schach gruffily, brushing dirt off Nanoha so forcefully she nearly knocked her into a barrel of dragon scales outside the pharmacy. "Creeping around Silent Hill, I don't know – a scary place, Nanoha – don't want anyone to see you down there – "

"I realize _that_," said Nanoha, ducking as Schach made to brush her off again. "I told you, I was lost – what were you doing down there, anyway?"

"_I _was looking for anti-Deadpool repellent," growled Schach, showing her new sniper rifle. "He's been ruining the school cabbages. You're not on your own?"

"I'm staying with Yagamis but we got separated," Nanoha explained, setting off down the street with Schach. "I've got to go and find them."

"All right, but how come you never wrote back to me, Erio, or Caro?" said Schach. Nanoha explained all about Vette and the Henkens. "Damn Machlos. If I had known –"

"Nanoha! Nanoha! Over here!"

Nanoha looked up and saw her best friend, Fate Testarossa, standing at the top of the white flight of steps to Reichtum. Nanoha thought she looked as lovely as she always did: her flawless white skin, curtain of golden hair, and those amazing ruby-red eyes. Nanoha was too busy admiring her friend that she didn't realize Fate was already in front of her.

"What happened to you? You look terrible. Hello, Schach – oh, it's wonderful to see you two again – are you coming to Reichtum, Schach?"

"As soon as I find the Yagamis," said Nanoha.

"You won't have to wait long," Schach said with a grin.

Nanoha and Fate looked around: sprinting up the crowded street were Agito, Rein, Signum, and Zafira wheeling Hayate.

"Nanoha," Zafira panted. "We _hoped _you had only gone one Lock Point too far. Shamal's going frantic – she's coming now – "

"Where did you come out?" Hayate asked.

"Silent Hill," said Schach grimly.

"_Awesome!_" aid Agito and Rein together.

"We've never been allowed in," said Hayate enviously.

"**And you are better off not going,**" said Raising Heart.

Shamal now came galloping into view, her handbag swinging wildly in one hand, Vita just clinging onto the other.

"Oh, Nanoha – are you all right – you could have been anywhere – " she said, wiping off the bits of dirt that Schach hadn't managed to beat away.

"Well, gotta get going – Deadpool's not gonna shoot himself – well, maybe he will," said Schach, who was having her hand wrung by Shamal ("Silent Hill! If you hadn't found her, Schach!"). "See ya at St. Hilde!" and she strode away through the packed street.

Guess who I saw at Resident Evil?" Nanoha asked Hayate and Fate as they climbed the Reichtum steps. "Yuri and her mother."

"Did Dearche Eberwein buy anything?" said Zafira sharply behind them.

"No, she was selling – "

"So she's worried," said Zafira wih grim satisfaction. "Oh, I'd love to get Dearche Eberwein for something…"

"You be careful, Zafira," said Shamal sharply as they were bowed into the bank by a Mariage at the door. "That family is trouble. Don't go biting off more than you can chew – "

"So you don't think I'm a match for Dearche Eberwein?"

"There is very little that brute force can do in the world of politics, Yagami," said a very cold just ahead of them.

Nanoha stopped cold in her tracks. There, dressed in billowing purple robes, was Presea Testarossa, leading Researcher and mother to her best friend. Presea Testarossa was Nanoha's least favorite teacher. Nanoha also happened to be her least favorite student. Cruel, sarcastic, and disliked by everybody except the students of her own house (Material). Presea tended to favor Material above everyone else, but did show some kindness to her daughter, which she always denied.

That was when Nanoha remembered that just last year; Presea Testarossa went out of her way to keep Nanoha safe from the Homunculus Envy and Stern the Destructor even if it was just to get out of her father's debt. And the whole time, she baselessly blamed Presea for all the attacks, which really wasn't fair to Fate. The least she could do is _try_ to be civil with the woman, even if it killed her, which it most likely would.

"Here, Fate," said Presea, handing her daughter an electronic card. "This should be enough credits to buy your school supplies. When you are done, meet your sister and I at Central 46 – Alicia needs to fix her Barrier Jacket _again_. I am sorely tempted to just send her off to school naked."

"Meet you back here," Hayate said to Fate as the Yagamis and Nanoha went to the tellers.

Shamal and Nanoha approached separate Mariage desk clerks, who spoke in a tone that was more machine than human – that was considering that Mariage were only artificial beings with zero sense of individuality. Nanoha, who stand just next to Shamal, felt just as horrible as when she fell into Silent Hill when she overheard the Yagami account being completely emptied, including the small loan that Carim had transferred to them. Nanoha felt even worse when the Mariage accessed her own account. She tried to speak in a whisper so that the Yagamis wouldn't overhear her, but the Mariage wasn't very cooperative.

* * *

Back outside on the marble steps, they all separated. Signum muttered vaguely about needing more paper. Agito and Rein had spotted their friend from St. Hilde, Anko Mitarashi. Shamal and Vita were going to Erza Scarlet's shop. Zafira was going to the local bar to get a drink.

"We'll all meet at Spellbinder's in an hour to buy your schoolbooks," said Shamal, setting off with Vita. "And not one step down Silent Hill!" she shouted at the twins' retreating backs.

Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate strolled off along the winding streets. The card full of credits flapping around in Nanoha's pocket was waiting to be spent, so she bought three of Squid Girl's Sea Salt Ice Cream, which they slurped happily as they wandered up the street, examining the fascinating shop windows. Hayate gazed longingly at a full set of Belkan Blaze uniforms at the Riot Force shop until Fate dragged them off to buy pens and paper next door. In The April Fool Joke Shop, they met Agito, Rein, and Anko Mitarashi, who were stock up of non-explosive fireworks, and in a tiny junk shop full of broken Devices, lopsided brass scales, and old Barrier Jackets covered in stains they found Signum, deeply immersed in a small and deeply boring book called _Night after Knight._

"_A study of St. Hilde Knights and their later careers," _Hayate read aloud off the back cover. "That sounds like a real page-turner…"

"Go away," Signum snapped.

"Of course, she's very ambitious, Signum, she's got it all planned out…she wants to be on the High Council…" Hayate told Nanoha and Fate in an undertone as they left Signum to it.

An hour later, they headed for Spellbinder's. They were by no means the only ones making their way to the bookshop. As they approached it, they saw to their surprise a large crowd jostling outside the doors, trying to get in. the reason for this was proclaimed by a large banner stretched across the upper windows:

**Shūkurō Tsukishima  
**will be signing copies of his autobiography  
**Fullbring  
**today 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

"I heard about him," said Fate in what sounded like an exasperated voice. "Mother says he is an idiot and is only satisfied with his own personal appearance."

"Guess there are some things we can agree on," said Hayate.

The crowd seemed to be made up mostly of women around the same age or older than Shamal. A harassed-looking man stood at the door, saying, "Calmly, please, ladies…Don't push, there…watch the books, now…"

Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate squeezed inside. A long line wound right to the back of the shop, where Shūkurō Tsukishima was signing his books. They each grabbed a copy of _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2_ and sneaked up the line to where the rest of the Yagamis were standing.

"Oh, there you are, good," said Shamal. She sounded breathless and kept patting her hair. "We'll be able to see him in a minute…"

Shūkurō Tsukishima came slowly into view, seated at a table surrounded by large pictures of his own face, flashing dazzling white teeth at the crowd. The real Shūkurō Tsukishima was wearing a white shirt and black suspenders that made him look like he had recently joined a jazz band – Nanoha still thought he was creepy, if not more. A short, irritable-looking man was dancing around taking photos with a flying camera that emitted puffs of black smoke with every blinding flash.

Out of the way, there," he snarled at Hayate, moving back to get a better shot. "This is for the Daily News – "

"So you try to knock over a cripple," said Hayate darkly. "That just says a whole lot, doesn't it?"

Shūkurō Tsukishima heard her. He looked up. He saw Hayate – and then he saw her friends. He stared. Then he leapt to his feet and positively shouted, "It _can't _be Nanoha Takamachi. And do I spy Fate Testarossa, Mid-Childa's youngest Brave Duelist?"

The crowd parted, whispering excitedly; Tsukishima dived forward, seizing Nanoha and Fate's arms, and pulled them to the front. The crowd burst into applause. Fate's face was burning as Tsukishima clamped on to their shoulders and pulled them together for the photographer, who was clicking away madly, wafting thick smoke over the Yagamis.

"Nice big smile, girls," said Tsukishima, through his own gleaming teeth. "Together, all of us are worth the front page."

Nanoha could tell that Fate was on the verge of collapsing from embarrassment. She may be a famous celebrity, but she couldn't handle large crowds very well – odd girl. Nanoha tried to sidle back over to the Yagamis, but Tsukishima tightened his grip on her shoulder to prevent her from escaping.

"Ladies and gentleman," he said loudly, waving for quiet. "What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time!

"When young Nanoha and Fate stepped into Spellbinder's today, they only wanted to buy my autobiography – which I shall be happy to present them now, free of charge – " The crowd applauded again. "They had _no idea _that they would be getting much, much more than my book, _Fullbring._ They and their schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the full me. Yes, ladies and gentleman, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this April, I will be taking up the position of Tactical Combat Instructor at St. Hilde Academy of Magic!"

The crowd cheered and clapped; Nanoha and Fate found themselves being presented with the entire works of Shūkurō Tsukishima. Staggering slightly under their weight, Nanoha managed to make her way out of the limelight to the edge of the room, where Vita was standing with her bag of school supplies.

"You have these," Nanoha mumbled to her, tipping the books into the bag. "I'll buy my own – "

"I don't need your charity!" snapped Vita, giving her a good kick to the shin.

"You're – welcome," groaned Nanoha.

"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Takamachi?" said a voice Nanoha had no trouble recognizing she straightened up and found herself face-to-face with Yuri Eberwein, who was wearing her usual sneer. "_Famous _Nanoha Takamachi. Can't even go into a _bookstore _without making the front page."

"Maybe if you're lucky, you could get in the funny pages," said Nanoha. "Of course, you would actually have to be funny to get it."

"You better watch your mouth, Takamachi," growled Yuri as Hayate and Fate fought their way over, both clutching stacks of Tsukishima's books.

"Oh, it's you," said Hayate, looking at Yuri as if she were something unpleasant on the sole of her shoe. "Bet you're surprised to see Nanoha here, eh?"

"Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Yagami," retorted Yuri. "I suppose your family will go hungry for a month to pay off all these. They should save what little credits they have and pull your legless butt out of school – I doubt the church is wheelchair accessible."

Hayate went as red as Vita's hair. She dropped her books into the bag, too, and rolled toward Yuri, but Nanoha and Fate held her in place. It wouldn't look good for a paraplegic to be fighting a mage in broad daylight in the middle of a bookstore.

"Hayate!" said Zafira, struggling over with Agito and Rein. "What are you doing? It's too crowded in here, let's go outside."

"Well, well, well – Zafira Yagami."

It was Lord Dearche. She stood with her hand on Yuri's shoulder, sneering in just the same way.

"Dearche," said Zafira, nodding coldly.

"That's _Lord _Dearche to you, peasent," said Lord Dearche. "Busy time at the Bureau, I hear. All those extra raids and security jobs…I hope they are paying you overtime." She reached into Vita's bag and extracted, from amid the glossy Tsukishima books, a very old, very battered copy of _A Beginning's Guide to Transmutation__. _"Obviously not. Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of mage if they don't even pay you well for it?"

"We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name or mage, Dearche," said Zafira.

"Clearly," drawled Lord Dearche. "I've heard the stories of the company you keep, Yagami. Bounty hunters, pirates, Machlos…and I thought your family could sink no lower – "

All of sudden, Vita's bag went flying; Zafira had thrown himself at Lord Dearche with a blazing punch that was successfully blocked by Lord Dearche's shield. The blast of the impact knocked dozens of heavy spell books off the shelves and on their heads; there was a yell of, "Get her, Zafira!" from Agito and Rein; Shamal was shrieking, "No, Zafira, no!"; the crowd stampeded backward, knocking more shelves over; "People, please – please!" cried the assistant, and then, louder than all –

"That's enough out of you two! Break it up!"

Schach, dressed in her battle form, appeared in the blink of an eye between Zafira and Lord Dearche, one of her Windenschaft blades pressed against their necks threateningly. Zafira had a cut lip and Lord Dearche had been hit in the eye by an Encyclopedia of Cryptids. She was still holding Vita's old Alchemy book. She thrust it at her, her eyes glittering with malice.

"Here, girl – take your book – it's the best your brother can give you – " Pulling herself out of Schach's range she beckoned to Yuri and swept from the shop.

"You should have ignored her, Zafira," said Schach, taking her weapon away from the man's throat. "Rotten to the core, the whole family, everyone knows that – no Eberwein is worth listening to – bad blood, that's what it is – come on now – let's get out of here."

The assistant looked as though he wanted to stop them from leaving, but once glimpse of the sunlight reflecting off of Windenschaft's bladed edge made him think better of it. they hurried up the street with Shamal beside herself with fury.

"A _fine_ example you set for your sisters…_brawling_ in public…_what_ would Shūkurō Tsukishima must have thought – "

"He was pleased," said Agito. "Didn't you hear him as we were leaving? He was asking that guy from the daily news if he would be able to work the fight into his report – said it was all publicity – "

But it was a subdued group that headed back to the Central 46 terminal, where Nanoha, the Yagamis, and all their shopping would be traveling back to the Orphanage using the Transporter Spell. They said good-bye to Fate, who was headed down another tunnel to meet up with her mother and sister. Nanoha took in a deep breath and made sure to tuck in everything before stepping into the magic triangle that Zafira had summoned. It definitely wasn't her favorite way to travel.

* * *

**That's all that we can bring for today's chapter – make sure all your limbs and brains are in place before exiting the ride. Today's grand introduction of the infamous Lord Dearche Eberwein and the new Tactical Combat Instructor, Shūkurō Tsukishima (Who I personally don't like and find creepy, which is why he plays Lockhart). Next chapter will be the grand adventure to St. Hilde and a battle of leafy proportions! Stay tuned for that!**


	5. The Thousand-Hand Cedar

**Nanoha and the Tomb of Shadows**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

* * *

**Chapter Five: The Thousand-Hand Cedar**

The end of the holidays came too quickly for Nanoha's liking. She was looking forward to getting back to St. Hilde, but her month at the Yagami Orphanage had been the happiest of her life. It was difficult not to feel jealous of Hayate when she thought of the Henkens and the sort of welcome she could expect next time she turned up on Erika Road.

On their last evening, Hayate cooked up a sumptuous dinner that included all of Nanoha's favorite things, l ending with a mouthwatering strawberry-almond cream tart. Agito and Rein rounded off the evening with a display of non-explosive fireworks; they filled the kitchen with red and blue stars that bounced from the ceiling to the wall for at least half an hour. Then it was time for a last cup of hot chocolate and bed.

It took a long while to get started next morning. They were up at dawn, but somehow they still seemed to have a great deal to do. Shamal dashed about in a bad mood looking for spare socks and paper; people kept colliding in the hallways, half-dressed with bits of toast in their mouths; and Zafira nearly broke his neck tripping over a stray chicken as he crossed the yard carrying Vita's luggage to the Batmobile. As it turned out, Agito and Rein had "borrowed" it again from Batman and it was too early in the morning for him to complain, so they were safe…for now.

Nanoha couldn't see how eight people, six sets of luggage, two fays and a ferret were going to fit into one small Batmobile. She had thought, of course, without the special features that Zafira had added last night.

"Not a word to Shamal," he whispered to Nanoha as he opened the trunk and showed him how it had magically expanded so that the luggage fitted easily.

When at last they were all in the car, Shamal glanced into the back seat, where Nanoha, Hayate, Agito, Rein, and Signum were all sitting comfortably side by side, and said, "Mr. Wayne is surprisingly talented for a Machlos, isn't he?" She and Vita got into the front seat, which had been stretched so that it resembled a park bench. "I mean, you would never know it was this roomy from the outside, would you?"

Zafira started up the engine and they trundled out of the yard, Nanoha turning back for a last look at the Orphanage. She barely had time to wonder when she would see it again when they were back – Agito had forgotten her box of fireworks. Five minutes after that, they skidded to a halt in the yard so that Rein could run in for her Device. They had almost reached the highway when Vita shrieked that she had left one of her school books. By the time she had clambered back into the car, they were running late, and tempers were running high. Zafira glanced at his watch and then at Shamal.

"Shamal – "

"_No,_ Zafira – "

"No one would see – this little button here is a Martian camouflage feature Wayne installed – that would get us up in the air – then we fly above the clouds. We would be there in ten minutes and no one would be any wiser – "

"I said _no_, Zafira. I don't want you messing with Wayne's contraptions – "

They reached Coastal Airport 8 at a quarter to eleven. Zafira dashed across the road to get carts for their luggage and they all hurried into the airport. Hayate had told Nanoha all about how people coming from Cranagan reached the _Arthra _hanger. They each had to pass through a specially designed barrier that would transport them to an undisclosed location where the ship would be waiting for them. The trick was that only people with special magical organs, Linker Cores, could pass through it. This prevented any Machlos from wandering in unless they had permission to enter via special passes.

"Signum first," said Zafira, looking nervously at the clock overhead, which showed they only had five minutes to make it to the hanger. Signum strode briskly forward and vanished. Zafira went next; Agito and Rein followed.

I'll take Vita and you two come right after us," Shamal told Nanoha and Hayate, grabbing Vita's hand and setting off. In the blink of an eye they were gone.

"Let's go together, we've only got a minute," said Hayate to Nanoha.

Nanoha made sure that Lucy's was safely tucked in her pocket and wheeled both hers and Hayate's cart to face the barrier. She felt perfectly confident; this wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as using a Transporter Spell. She bent low over the handles of their carts and walked purposely toward the barrier with Hayate rolling alongside her, gather speed. A few feet away from it, Nanoha broke into a run and –

**CRASH!**

Both carts hit the barrier and bounced backwards; Hayate's bags fell off with a loud thump, Nanoha was knocked off her feet and over the handles, and Lucy was thrown out of her pocket and smacked against the wall, ripping herself off the brick to shriek at her owners indignantly; people all around them stared and a guard nearby yelled, "What on Mid-Childa do you think you're doing?"

"Lost control of the carts," Nanoha gasped, clutching her ribs as she got up. Hayate plucked Lucy out of the air and stuffed the fay into her pocket – she was causing such a scene that there was a lot of muttering about cruelty to animals from the surrounding crowd.

"Why can't we get through?" Nanoha hissed to Hayate.

"I don't know – " Hayate looked wildly around. A dozen people were still watching them. "We're going to miss the ship. I don't understand why the barrier's sealed itself – "

Nanoha looked up at the giant clock with a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach. Ten seconds…nine seconds…she wheeled the carts forward cautiously until it was right against the barrier and pushed with all her might. The energy wall remained solid. Three seconds…two seconds…one second…

"It's gone," said Hayate, sounding stunned. "The _Arthra _has left already. What if Zafira and Shamal can't get back through to us?" she pressed her ear to the cold barrier, which seemed rather pointless as the hanger was probably miles away. "What are we going to do? I don't know how long it will take Zafira and Shamal to get back to us."

"Maybe we should go and wait by the Batmobile," said Nanoha. "We're attracting too much atten – "

"Nanoha!" said Hayate, her eyes gleaming. "The Batmobile!"

"What about it?"

"We can fly the Batmobile to St. Hilde!"

"But I thought – "

"We're stuck, right?" And we've got to get to school, haven't we? And even underage mages are allowed to use magic if it's a real emergency, section nineteen or something of the Restriction of Thingy – "

"But Zafira and Shamal…" said Nanoha, pushing against the barrier in the vain hope that it would give way. "How will they get home?"

"They don't need a car!" said Hayate impatiently. "Zafira can just open the Corridors! You know, the crossroads between worlds! They only bother with Transporter Spells and the car because we're all underage and it's too dangerous for underage to travel through the Corridors too often…"

Nanoha's feeling of panic turned suddenly to excitement.

"Can you fly it?"

"No problem," said Hayate, turning her chair around to face the exit. "C'mon, let's go. If we hurry we'll be able to follow the _Arthra_ – "

And they marched off through the crowd of curious Machlos, out of the station and back onto the parking lot where the Batmobile was parked, drawing a lot of attention from people who passed by. Hayate summoned Schwertkreuz and the Tomb of the Night Sky, combining their power to unlock the cavernous trunk. They heaved their heavy luggage back in, put Lucy and Pabu in the back seat with Hayate's wheelchair, and got into the front.

"Doesn't look like anyone's watching us," said Nanoha, checking the empty parking lot as Hayate started the ignition. "I think we're safe to go. Get us out of here, Hayate-Chan."

"I would, but this clown is in the way," grumbled Hayate.

"That's not a nice thing to say, Hayate-Chan."

"No, I mean there really is a clown in the way."

Nanoha blinked and looked forward. There was indeed a white-skinned clown with green hair in a purple pinstripe suit writing "Batman smells" on the hood of the Batmobile with green spray paint. Once noticing Nanoha and Hayate, he threw away the can, blew a raspberry at them, and ran away, laughing merrily.

"**Is it wrong to think that's normal these days?**" asked Raising Heart.

Nanoha and Hayate shook their heads – they didn't have time to waste with that Joker. Hayate pressed a tiny silver button on the dashboard. The car around them vanished – and so did they. Nanoha could feel the seat vibrating beneath her, hear the engine, feel and her hands on her knees, but for all she could see, she had become a pair of eyeballs, floating a few feet above the ground in a dingy parking lot.

"Let's go," said Hayate's voice from her right.

And the ground and the buildings on either side fell away, dropping out of sight as the Batmobile rose; in seconds, the whole of Cranagan lay, smooth and glittering, below them. There was a groaning sound and the Batmobile, Nanoha, and Hayate reappeared.

"Are you kidding me?" said Hayate exasperatedly. "Wayne spends millions of credits of this thing and he goes cheap on the invisibility function?" Both of them pummeled it. The Batmobile vanished. Then it flickered back again. "Forget it! Hold on!"

And she slammed the butt of Schwertkreuz against the accelerator; they shot into the low, woolly clouds and everything turned dull and foggy.

"Now what?" said Nanoha, blinking at the solid mass of cloud pressing in on them from all sides.

"We need to see the _Arthra _to know what direction to go in," said Hayate.

"Try flying up – maybe it's still in the city – " said Nanoha. They surfaced through the clouds and twisted around in their seats, squinting at the sky. "I can see it! Up ahead – there!"

The _Arthra _was gliding along the azure-blue sky above them like a silver eagle.

"Due north," said Hayate, checking the navigation computer on the dashboard. "Okay, we'll just have to check on it every half hour or so to make sure that we're going the right way. Now all we've got to worry about is airplanes."

They looked at each other and started to laugh; for a long time, they couldn't stop. It was as though they had been plunged into a fabulous dream. This, Nanoha thought, was surely the only way to travel – past swirls and turrets of snowy cloud, in a flying car full of hot, bright sunlight, with a box of, amazingly, bat-shaped sugar cookies in the glove compartment, and the prospect of seeing Agito and Rein's jealous faces when they landed smoothly and spectacularly on the sweeping lawn in front of St. Hilde's church.

They made regular checks on the _Arthra_ as they flew farther and farther north, each time they were flying over a different scene. Cranagan was soon far behind them, replaced by neat green fields that gave way in turn to wide, purplish moor, a great city alive with cars like multicolored ants and towns with tiny toy houses.

Several uneventful hours later, however, Nanoha had to admit that some of the fun was wearing off. The sugar cookies had made them extremely thirsty and they had nothing to drink. She and Hayate had pulled off their coats, but Nanoha's shirt was sticking to the back of her seat. She had stopped noticing the fantastic cloud shapes now and was thinking longingly of the _Arthra_ above them, where you could special order sweet and cool caramel milk from the flight attendant. _Why_ hadn't they been able to get into the hanger?

"Can't be much farther, can it?" croaked Hayate, hours later still, as the sun started to sink into beyond the horizon. "Ready for another check on the _Arthra_?"

It was still a ways above them, flying its way over snowcapped mountains. Hayate pressed Schwertkreuz on the accelerator and drove them downwards again, but as she did so, the engine began to whine. Nanoha and Hayate exchanged nervous glances.

"It's probably just tired," said Hayate. "I'll be it's never been this far before…"

And they pretended not to notice the whining growing louder and loud as they sky became steadily darker. Stars were blossoming in the blackness. Nanoha pulled her coat back on, trying to ignore the way the windshield wipers were now waving feebly, as though in protest.

"Not far," said Hayate, more to the Batmobile than to Nanoha, "not far now," and she patted the dashboard nervously.

"_There!_" Nanoha shouted, making Hayate, Lucy, and Pabu jump. "Straight ahead!"

Silhouetted on the dark horizon, high above the hill overlooking the lake, stood the many turrets and towers of St. Hilde's church. But the Batmobile had begun to shudder and was losing speed.

"Come on," Hayate said cajolingly, giving the steering wheel a little shake, "nearly there, come on – "

The engine groaned. Narrow jets of steam were issuing from under the hood. Nanoha found herself gripping the edges of her seat very hard as they flew toward the lake. The Batmobile gave a nasty wobble. Glancing out the window, Nanoha saw the smooth, black, glassy surface of the water, a mile below. Hayate's knuckles were white on the steering wheel. The car wobbled again. They were over the lake – the church was just ahead – Hayate hit the gas once more.

There was a loud clunk, a splutter, and the engine died completely.

"**That's not good,**" Raising Heart commented.

The nose of the Batmobile dropped. They were falling, gathering speed, heading straight for the solid church wall. Hayate quickly swung the steering wheel around; they missed the dark stone wall by inches as the Batmobile turned in a great arc, soaring over the dark greenhouses, then the vegetable patch, and then out over the black lawns, losing altitude all the time. Hayate let go of the steering wheel completely and pulled up Schwertkreuz.

"STOP! STOP!" she yelled, whacking the dashboard and the windshield, but they were still plummeting, the ground flying up toward them.

"WHATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE!" Nanoha bellowed, lunging steering wheel, but too late –

**CRUNCH!**

With an earsplitting bang of metal on wood, they hit the thick tree trunk and dropped to the ground with a heavy jolt. Steam was billowing from under the crumpled hood; Lucy was shrieking in terror; a golf ball-size lump was throbbing on Nanoha's head where she had hit the windshield; and to her right, Hayate let out a low, aching groan.

"Are you okay?" Nanoha asked urgently.

"I'm alive, yes," said Hayate in a shaky voice. "But not for long when Shamal finds out what just happened. Or worse, Batman."

There was a shudder of terror that was shared between them. Nanoha had never met the costumed vigilante in person, but if even a fraction of the stories were true, they would be lucky to get out with their limbs still attached. Nanoha opened her mouth to ask if Lucy and Pabu were safe, but she never even got started. At that very moment, something hit her side of the car with the force of a charging bull, sending her lurching sideways into Hayate, just as an equally heavy blow it the roof.

"What's happen - ?"

Hayate gasped, staring through the window, and Nanoha looked around just in time to see a hand-shaped branch close itself into a fist and smash into the hood. The tree they had hit was attacking them. Its trunk was bent almost double, and its thousands of hand-shaped boughs were pummeling every inch of the car it could reach. Hayate screamed as another twisted limb punched a dent into her door; the windshield was now trembling under a hail of blow from knuckle-like twigs and a branch as thick as a battering ram was pounding furiously on the roof, which seemed to be caving –

"Run – or in my case – crawl for it!" Hayate shouted, throwing her full weight against her door, but the next second she had been knocked backwards into Nanoha's lap by a vicious uppercut from another branch. "We're done for!"

The ceiling was starting to sag under the pressure, but suddenly the floor of the Batmobile was vibrating – the engine had restarted.

"_Reverse!_" Nanoha yelled, and the Batmobile shot backwards; the tree was trying to still trying to hit them; they could hear its roots creaking as it almost ripped itself up, lashing out at them as they sped out of reach.

"That," panted Hayate, "was close. Nice job, Bat – "

The Batmobile, however, had reached the end of its tether. With two sharp clunks, the doors flew open and Nanoha felt her seat tip sideways: next thing she knew she was sprawled on the damp ground. Loud thuds told her that the Batmobile was ejecting their luggage from the trunk; Lucy was thrown out into the open air, shook her fist with an angry screech, and sped off toward the church without a backward look. Then, dented, scratched, and steaming, the Batmobile rumbled off into the darkness, its rear light blazing angrily.

"Come back!" Hayate yelled, brandishing her Device. "Wayne is going to kill me!"

But the Batmobile disappeared from view with one last snort from its exhaust.

"**Did anyone else know the car was alive?**" asked Raising Heart.

"Can you _believe_ our luck?" said Hayate miserably as Nanoha helped her into her wheelchair. "Of all the tree we could have hit, we got the one that hits back."

She glanced over her shoulder at the ancient tree, which was still flailing its branches threateningly.

"Come one," said Nanoha wearily, "we better get up to the church…"

It wasn't at all the triumphant arrival they had pictured. Stiff, cold, and bruised, they seized their luggage and began dragging them up the grassy slope, toward the great oak front doors.

"I think the feast has already started," said Hayate, dropping her bags at the foot of the front steps and crossing quietly to look through a brightly lit window. "Hey – Nanoha – come and look – it's the Sorting!"

Nanoha hurried over and, together, she and Hayate peered in at the Great Hall. Innumerable miniature suns were hovering in midair over four long, crowded tables, making the silver plates and cups sparkle. Overhead, the enchanted ceiling, which always mirrored the sky outside, sparkled with stars. Nanoha saw a line of scared-looking first years filing into the Great Hall. Vita was among them, easily visible because of her bright red hair. Meanwhile, Linith-Sensei, the Alchemy teacher, was pulling out the famous Sorting Crystal to show the newcomers.

Every year, this aged old crystal, scratched, cracked and dirty, summoned the Goddess of Destiny, Cosmos, who would sort new students into the four St. Hilde houses (Kaiser, Hades, Hegemon, and Material). Nanoha well remembered kneeling to Cosmos, exactly one year ago, and waiting, petrified, for her decision as she mutter aloud in her mind. For a few horrible seconds she had feared that Cosmos was going to put her in Material, the house that turned out more Dark mages than any other – but she had ended up in Kaiser, along with Fate, Hayate, and the rest of the Yagamis. Last term, the three of them along with Teana and Subaru had helped win the House Championship, beating Material for the first time in seven years.

A very small, pink-haired girl had been called forward to kneel in front of the crystal. Nanoha's eye wandered past her to where Carim Gracia, the headmistress, sat watching the Sorting from the staff table, her luminous golden hair and ocean blue eyes shining in the light of the suns. Several seat along, Nanoha saw Shūkurō Tsukishima, still dressed like an escaped jazz player. And there at the end was Schach, talking to the Dragon Knight and Tamer, Erio and Caro.

"Hang on…" Nanoha muttered to Hayate. "There's an empty chair at the staff table…where's Presea?"

"Maybe she's sick!" said Hayate hopefully.

"Maybe she _left_," said Nanoha, "because she missed out on the Tactical Combat Instructor job _again_!"

"Or she might have been _fired_!" said Hayate enthusiastically. "I mean, everyone hates her – "

"Or maybe," said a very cold voice right behind them, "she's waiting to hear why you two didn't arrive on the _Arthra_ like everyone else." Nanoha spun around. There stood Presea Testarossa; smiling in a way that told Nanoha she and Hayate were in very deep trouble. "Follow me."

Not daring even to look at each other, Nanoha and Hayate followed Presea up the steps into the vast, echoing entrance hall, which was lit with glowing orbs. A delicious smell of food was wafting from the Great Hall, but Presea led them away from the warmth and light, down a narrow stone staircase that led to the lower levels. Nanoha was so depressed that she wasn't even surprised when the steps transformed into a smooth ramp when Hayate approached them.

"In!" Presea said, opening a door halfway down the cold passageway and pointing.

They entered Presea's office, shivering. The shadowy walls were lined with shelves of large glass jars, in which floated all manner of revolting things Nanoha didn't really want to know the name of at the moment. The fireplace was dark and empty. Presea closed the door and turned to look at them.

"So," she said softly, "the _Arthra_ isn't good enough for the famous Nanoha Takamachi and her faithful sidekick Yagami. Wanted to arrive with a _bang_, did we, girls?"

"No, ma'am, it was the barrier at Coastal Airport 8, it – "

"Silence!" said Presea coldly. "What have you done with the Batmobile?"

Hayate gulped. This wasn't the first time Nanoha had given Nanoha the impression of being able to read minds. But a moment later, she understood, as Presea unrolled today's issue of the evening news.

"You were seen," she hissed, showing them the headlines: BATMOBILE BREAKOUT BAFFLES BATMAN. She began to read aloud: "Two men in Cranagan, convinced they saw Batman's vehicle flying over the post office…at noon in Erusea District, Mr. Sajin Komamura, while walking his dog…Ms. Iris Egrat of Rigate , reported to the police…six or seven Machlos were also witness. I believe your brother works at the Time-Space Administration Bureau?" she said, looking up at Hayate and smiling still more nastily. "Dear, dear…his own sister…"

Nanoha felt as though she had just been walloped in the stomach by one of the mad tree's larger branches. If anyone found out that the Yagamis had stolen the Batmobile…she hadn't thought of that…

"I noticed, in my search of the grounds, that considerable damage seems to have been done to a very valuable Senju Sugi," Presea went on.

"Senju Sugi?" repeated Nanoha in confusion.

"**The Senju Sugi – commonly translated as the Thousand-Hand Cedar,**" informed Raising Heart. "**Its unique properties are – **"

"_Silence!_" snapped Presea again; Raising Heart 'eep'ed and went quiet. "Most unfortunately, you are not in my House and the decision to expel you does not rest with me. I shall go and fetch the people who _do_ have that happy power. You will wait here."

Nanoha and Hayate stared at each other, white-faced. Nanoha didn't feel hungry any more. She now felt extremely sick. She tried not to look at a large, slimy, three-fingered hand suspended in green liquid on a shelf behind Presea's desk. If Presea had gone to fetch Linith-Sensei, head of Kaiser House, they were hardly any better off. She might be fairer than Presea, but she was still extremely strict.

Ten minutes later, Presea returned, and sure enough it was Linith-Sensei who accompanied her. Nanoha had seen Linith-Sensei angry on several occasions, but either she had forgotten how thin her mouth could go, or she had never seen her this angry before. Linith-Sensei raised her hand the moment she entered; Nanoha and Hayate flinched, but she merely snapped her fingers at the empty fire place, where flames suddenly erupted.

"Sit," she said, and Nanoha backed into the chair next to Hayate. "Explain."

Hayate launched into the story, starting with the barrier at the airport refusing to let them through.

" – so we had no choise, Sensei, we couldn't get on the ship."

"Why didn't you send a letter by fay? I believe _you _have a fay?" Linith-Sensei said coldly to Nanoha.

Nanoha gaped at her. Now that she said it, that seemed like the most obvious thing to do.

"I –I didn't think – "

"That," said Linith-Sensei, "is obvious."

There was a knock on the office door and Presea, now looking happier than ever, opened it. There stood the headmistress, Carim Gracia. Nanoha's whole body went numb. Carim was looking unusually grave. She stared down at them, and Nanoha suddenly found herself wishing she and Hayate were still being beaten up by the Senju Sugi.

There was a long silence. Then Carim said, "Please explain why you did this."

It would have been better if she had shouted. Nanoha hated the disappointment in her voice. For some reason, she was unable to look Carim in the eyes, and spoke instead to her knees. She had told Carim everything except that Agito and Rein had stolen the Batmobile, making it sound as though she and Hayate had happened to find it parked outside the airport. She knew Carim would see through this at once, but Carim asked no questions about the Batmobile. When Nanoha had finished, she merely continued to peer at them.

"We'll go and get our stuff," said Hayate in a hopeless sort of voice.

"What are you talking about, Yagami?" barked Linith-Sensei.

"Well, you're expelling us, aren't you?" said Hayate.

"Not today, Miss Yagami," said Carim. "But I must impress the seriousness of what you have done. I will be writing to both your families. I must warn you that if you do anything like this again, I will have no choice but to expel you."

Presea looked as though Saint King's Day had been canceled. She cleared her throat and said, "Carim-Sama, these girls have floated the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Magic, cause serious damage to an old and valuable tree – surely acts of this nature – "

"It will be for Linith-Sensei to decide on these girls' punishments, Presea," said Carim calmly. "They are in her House and are therefore her responsibility. "She turned to Linith-Sensei. "I must go to the feast, Linith, I've got to give out a few notices. Come, Presea, there is a delicious-looking custard doughnut I want to sample – "

Presea shot a look of pure venom at Nanoha and Hayate as she allowed herself to be swept out of her office, leaving them alone with Linith-Sensei, who was still eyeing them like a wrathful eagle.

"You had better get along to the hospital wing, Yagami, you're bleeding."

"Not much," said Hayate, hastily wiping the cut over her eye with her sleeve. "Sensei, I wanted to watch my sister being Sorted – "

"The Sorting Ceremony is over," said Linith-Sensei. "Your sister is also in Kaiser."

"Oh, good," said Hayate

"Oh no/**Oh no!**" Nanoha and Raising Heart hissed silently together.

"And speaking of Kaiser – " Linith-Sensei said sharply, but Nanoha cut in: "Sensei, when we took the Batmobile, term hadn't started, so – so Kaiser shouldn't really have points taken from it – should it?" she finished, watching her anxiously.

Linith-Sensei gave her a piercing look, but she was sure she had almost smiled. Her mouth looked less thin, anyway.

"I will not take any points from Kaiser," she said, and Nanoha's heart lightened considerably. "But you will both get a detention."

It was better than Nanoha had expected. As for Carim's letter to the Henkens, that was nothing. Nanoha knew perfectly well they would just be disappointed that the Senju Sugi hadn't squashed her flat. Linith-Sensei took off her hat and set it down on Presea's desk. When she lifted it up again, a large plate of sandwiches, two silver cups, and a jug of iced sweet tea appeared beneath it.

"You will eat here and then go straight up to your dormitory," she said. "I must also return to the feast."

When the door closed behind her, Hayate let out a long, low whistle.

"I thought we were done for," she said, grabbing a sandwich.

"So did I," said Nanoha, taking one, too.

"Can you believe our luck, though?" said Hayate thickly though a mouthful of ham on rye. "Agito and Rein must have stolen the Batmobile five or six times and not even Batman has seen _them_. The guy needs to open his wallet for a little more security." She swallowed and took another huge bite. "_Why _couldn't we get through the barrier?"

Nanoha shrugged. "We'll have to watch our step from now on, though," she said, taking a grateful swig of iced tea. "Wish we could have gone up to the feast…"

"She didn't want us showing off," said Hayate sagely. "Doesn't want people to think it's a good idea to steal the Batmobile and fly to school."

When they had eaten as many sandwiches as they could (the plate kept refilling itself) they rose and left the office, treading the familiar path to Kaiser Tower. The church was quiet; it seemed that the feast was over. They walked past creaking armor and occasionally bumped into the church security, the Shinigami, and climbed narrow flights of stairs that changed to ramps to give Hayate better mobility, until they reached the hallway where the secret entrance was hidden, behind a large ruby Device.

"Password?" it said as they approached.

"Er – " said Nanoha.

They didn't know the new year's password, not having met Kaiser Knight yet, but help came almost immediately; they heard hurrying feet behind them and turned to see their friend and roommate, Teana Lancaster, dashing toward them.

"_There _you are! Where have you _been_? The most ridiculous rumors – someone said you had been expelled for crashing the Batmobile – "

"Well, we haven't been expelled," Nanoha assured her.

"You're not telling me you _did_ fly here?" said Teana, sounding almost as severe as Linith-Sensei.

"Skip the lecture," said Hayate impatiently, "and tell us the new password."

"It's hummingbird," said Teana shortly, "but that's not the point – "

Her words were cut short, however, as the ruby Device reconstructed the wall to form a gilded archway and there was a sudden storm of clapping. It looked as though the whole Kaiser House was still awake, packed into the circular common room, standing on squashy armchairs and the pool table, waiting for them to arrive. Arms reached through the archway to pull Nanoha and Hayate inside, leaving Teana to scramble in after them.

"Brilliant!" yelled Anko Mitarashi. "Inspired! What an entrance! Flying the Batmobile right into the Senju Sugi, people will be talking about that one for years – "

"Good for you," said a fifth year Nanoha had never spoken to; someone was patting her on the back as though she had just won a marathon; Agito and Rein pushed their way to the front of the crowd and said together, "Why couldn't we have come in the Batmobile, eh?" Hayate was scarlet in the face, grinning embarrassingly, but Nanoha could see one person who didn't look happy at all. Signum was visible over the heads of some excited first years, and she seemed to be trying to get close enough to start telling them off. Nanoha nudged Hayate in the shoulder and nodded in Signum's direction. Hayate got the point at once.

"Got to get upstairs – little tired," she said, and the two of them started pushing their way toward the door on the other side of the room, which led to a spiral staircase and the dormitories.

"Night," Nanoha called back to Teana, who was wearing a scowl just like Signum's.

They managed to get to the other side of the common room, still having their backs slapped and gained the peace of the staircase, which Nanoha had to help Hayate up with when converted to a steep ramp. They hurried up, right to the top, and at last reached the door to their old dormitory, which now had a sign on it saying SECOND YEARS. They entered the familiar circular room, with its five canopy beds hanging with curtains of different color: pink, yellow, white, orange, and blue. Their luggage had been brought up for them and stood at the ends of their beds. Hayate grinned guiltily at Nanoha.

"I know I shouldn't have enjoyed that or anything, but – "

The dormitory door flew open and in came their other second year Kaiser roommates, Fate and Subaru Nakajima. Teana had entered after them moments later, but she went directly to bed, closing the orange curtains behind her.

"_Unbelievable!_" said Subaru, awestruck.

"You're amazing, Nanoha," beamed Fate.

Nanoha couldn't help it. she grinned, too.

* * *

**The moral of the chapter: Batman really needs to upgrade to some better security or at least let Ace back in the Bat Cave. Now with the Senju Sugi introduced and the Batmobile causing mayhem in the forest, we finally move on to Nanoha's second year at St. Hilde. The next chapter is the one I am least looking forward to because I have to work with Tsukishima and the person that will be playing Colin – the most annoying person I could think of. *Whines***

**You can look forward to it because I certainly won't. *Pins pictures to dartboard***


	6. Shūkurō Tsukishima

**Nanoha and the Tomb of Shadows**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

* * *

**Chapter Six: Shūkurō Tsukishima**

The next day, however, Nanoha barely grinned once. Things started to go downhill from breakfast in the Great Hall. The four long house tables were laden with tureens of oatmeal, plates of pancakes, mountains of toast, and dishes of eggs and bacon, beneath the enchanted ceiling (today, a dull, cloudy gray). Nanoha and Hayate sat at the end of the table next to Fate and Teana, who had her copy of _Victims of Vampires _propped open against a milk jug. There was a slight stiffness in the way she said "Morning," which told Nanoha that she was still disapproving of the way they had arrived. Subaru Nakajima, on the other hand, greeted them cheerfully. Subaru with the sweet but accident-prone girl with the worst memory of anyone Nanoha had ever met.

"Mail's due any minute – I think Gin-nee is sending a few things I forgot."

Nanoha had only just started her oatmeal when, sure enough, there was a rushing sound overhead and a hundred or so fays streamed in, circling the hall and dropped letters and packages into the chattering crowd. A big, lumpy package bounced off Subaru's head and, a second later, gray and orange fell into Fate's cereal, spraying them all with milk and corn flakes.

"_Makarov!_" said Hayate, pulling the bedraggled fay out by the feet. Makarov slumped, unconscious, onto the table, his legs in the air in a comical fashion and a tape recorder in his hands. "Oh no – "

"It's all right, he's still alive," said Fate, prodding Makarov gently with the tip of her finger.

"It's not that – it's _that_."

Hayate was pointing at the tape recorder. It looked quite ordinary to Nanoha, but Hayate, Fate, and Subaru were all looking as though they had expected it to explode.

"What's the matter?" said Nanoha.

"Shamal, she – she sent me an audio message," said Hayate faintly. "People only send audio messages for – you know."

"You'd better play it, Hayate," said Subaru in a timid whisper. "It'll be worse if you don't. my sister Nove sent me one once, and I ignored it and – " she gulped – "it was horrible."

Nanoha looked from their petrified faces to the tape recorder.

"But what's so bad about an audio message?" she said

Hayate didn't answer – her whole attention was fixed on the tape recorder, which started rumbling in an ominous way.

"Open it," Fate urged. "It will all be over in a few minutes – "

Hayate stretched out a shaking hand, eased the tape recorder from Makarov's hand, and pressed the play button. Subaru stuffed her finger in her ears. A split second later, Nanoha knew why. She thought for a moment it _had _exploded; a roar of sound filled the huge hall, shaking dust from the ceiling.

"**HAYATE MAKURA YAGAMI, HOW DARE YOU STEAL THAT CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY HAD EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR BROTHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE – **"

Shamal's yells, a hundred times louder than usual, made the plates and spoons rattle on the table, and echoed deafeningly off the stone walls. People throughout the hall were swiveling around to see who was getting chewed out, and Hayate sank so low in her wheelchair that only her crimson forehead could be seen.

" – **LETTER FROM CARIM-SAMA LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR ZAFIRA WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND NANOHA COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED – "**

Nanoha was wondering when her name was going to crop up. She tried very hard to look as though she couldn't hear the voice that was making her eardrums throb.

" – **ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED – YOUR BROTHER IS NOW FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK AND IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE, WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME!**" All of a sudden, Shamal's voice dropped by a few decibels. "**Oh, and Vita, congratulations on making Kaiser, Zafira and I are so proud.**"

A little ways down the table, Vita, in her crimson bunny-themed Barrier Jacket, looked down to hide her embarrassment. There was a click and the tape recorder finally went silent. Nanoha and Hayate sat stunned, as though a tidal wave had just passed over them. A few people laughed and, gradually, a babble of talk broke out again. Teana closed _Victims of Vampires_ and looked down at the top of Hayate's head.

"Well, I don't know what you expected, Hayate, but you – "

"Don't tell me I deserved it," snapped Hayate.

Nanoha pushed her oatmeal away. Her insides were burning with guilt. Zafira was facing an inquiry at work. After all the Yagamis had done for her over the holidays...but she had no time to dwell on this; Linith-Sensei was moving along the Kaiser table, handing out course schedules. Nanoha took hers and saw that they had double Environmental Studies with the Hades first.

Nanoha, Fate, Hayate, Teana, and Subaru all left the church together, crossed the vegetable patch, and made for the greenhouses, where the magical plants were kept. At least the audio message had done one good thing: Teana seemed to think they had been punished enough and was being perfectly friendly again.

As they neared the greenhouses they saw the rest of the class standing outside, waiting for Hashirama-Sensei. Nanoha and the others had only just joined them when he came striding into view across the lawn, accompanied by Shūkurō Tsukishima. Hashirama-Sensei's arms were full of bandages, and with another twinge of guilt, Nanoha saw the Senju Sugi in the distance, several of its branches now in body casts.

Hashirama-Sensei was a tall and imposing man who regularly wore Feudal-Style armor; there was a large amount of dirt on his clothes and his fingernails would have made Aunt Kurima faint. Shūkurō Tsukishima, however, was immaculate with a dark blazer thrown over his usual jazz band attire, his hand flowing in a natural wave. Nanoha always through he looked creepy, but now she thought he was a creepy pervert.

"Oh, hello there!" Tsukishima called, beaming around at the assembled students. "Just been showing Hashirama-Sensei the right way to doctor a Senju Sugi. But I don't want you running away with the idea that I'm better at Environmental Studies than he is! I just happen to have met many several exotic plants in my travels…"

"Funny, considering there is only one Senju Sugi in existence and I'm the one who made it," said Hashirama-Sensei, who was looking distinctly disgruntled, not at all his usual cheery self. "Greenhouse three today, everyone."

There was a murmur of interest. They had only worked in greenhouse one before – greenhouse three housed far more interesting and dangerous plants. Hashirama-Sensei took a large key from his belt and unlocked the door. Nanoha caught a whiff of damp dirt and fertilizer mingling with the heavy perfume of some giant, umbrella-sized flowers dangling from the ceiling. She was about to follow Fate and Hayate inside when Tsukishima's hand shot out.

"Nanoha! I've been wanting a word – you don't mind if she's a couple minutes late, do you, Hashirama-Sensei?"

Judging by Hashirama-Sensei's scowl, she did mind, but Tsukishima said, "That's the ticket," and closed the greenhouse door in his face.

"Nanoha," said Tsukishima, his large white teeth gleaming in the sunlight as he shook his head. "Nanoha, Nanoha, Nanoha." Nanoha was silent – forget pervert, he was acting like a pedophile. "When I heard – well, of course, it was all my fault. Could have kicked myself."

Nanoha had no idea what he was talking about. She was about to say so when Tsukishima went on, "Don't know when I've been more shocked. Flying the Batmobile to St. Hilde! Well, of course, I knew at once why you had done it. Stood out a mile away. Nanoha, Nanoha, _Nanoha_."

"**Shall I use Divine Buster, Master?**" asked Raising Heart, feeling a little creeped out.

"Have it on stand-by," said Nanoha, trying to inch away from the man.

"Give you a taste for publicity, didn't I?" said Tsukishima, having missed out on the entire exchange. "Gave you the _bug_. You got onto the front page of the paper with me and you couldn't wait to do it again."

"Oh, no, Sensei, see – "

"Nanoha, Nanoha, Nanoha," said Tsukishima, reaching out and grasping her shoulder. Nanoha stopped herself from shouting 'pervert' across the grounds. "_I understand_. It's natural to want a bit more once you've had that first taste – and I blame myself for giving you that, because it was bound to go to your head – but see here young lady, you can't start _flying cars_ to try and get yourself noticed. Just calm down, all right? Plenty of time for all that when you're older. Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking! 'It's all right for him, he's an internationally famous mage already!' but when I was twelve, I was just as much of a nobody as you are now. In fact, I'd say I was even more of a nobody!"

"**Nobody!**" Raising Heart shouted outrageously. "**How dare you call my master a nobody, you two-faced, wispy-haired pedophile! Do you have any idea who she is? What she has done? She defeated the Queen of Darkness not once, but twice!**"

"Yes, yes, all that business with the Queen of Darkness," said Tsukishima, glancing at Nanoha's scar on her chest. Nanoha quickly covered herself, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze. "I know, I know – it's not quite as good as winning _Sorcerer Weekly's_ Most-Charming Smile Award five times in a row, as I have – but it's a _start_, Nanoha, it's a _start_."

He gave Nanoha a hearty wink and strode off. Nanoha stood in stunned silence for a few seconds, then, remembering she was supposed to be in the greenhouse, she opened the door and slid in. Hashirama-Sensei was standing behind a trestle bench in the center of the greenhouse. About twenty pars of different-colored earmuffs were lying on the bench. When Nanoha had taken her place between Fate and Hayate, he said "We'll be repotting Mandrakes today. Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?"

To nobody's surprise, Fate's hand was the first in the air.

"Mandrake, or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative," said Fate, sounding as usual as though she had swallowed the textbook. "It is used to return people who have been damaged physically, mentally, and spiritually to their original state."

"It's no surprise that you know that considering your mother uses it quite often." said Hashirama-Sensei. "Ten points to Kaiser. The Mandrakes forms an essential part of most antidotes. It is also, however, dangerous. Who can tell me why?"

Fate's hand narrowly missed Nanoha's face as it shot up again.

"The cry of the Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it," she said promptly.

"Precisely. Take another ten points," said Hashirama-Sensei. "Now, as our Mandrakes are only seedlings, their cries won't kill you yet. However, they _will _knock you out for several hours, and I'm sure none of you want to miss your first day back, which is why I have given everyone a pair of earmuffs. Take one and pick a pot."

There was a scramble as everyone tried to seize a pair that wasn't pink and fluffy – it didn't suit them as well as it did Nanoha. Everyone then stepped up to a row of deep trays. A hundred or so tufty little plants, purplish-green in color were growing there in rows. They looked quite unremarkable to Nanoha, who didn't have the slightest idea what Fate meant by the "cry" of the Mandrake.

"When I tell you to put them on, make sure your ears are _completely _covered," said Hashirama-Sensei. "When it is safe to remove them, I will give you the thumbs-up. Right – earmuffs _on_."

Nanoha snapped the earmuffs over her ears. They shut out sound completely. Hashirama-Sensei put a pair of bright red earmuffs over his own ears, rolled up his sleeves, grasped one of the tufty plants firmly, and pulled hard. Nanoha let out a silent gasp of surprise that no one could hear. Instead of roots, a small, muddy, and extremely ugly baby popped out of the dirt. The leaves were growing right out of his head. He had pale green, molted skin, and was clearly bawling at the top of his lungs.

Hashirama-Sensei took a large plant pot from under the table and plunged the Mandrake into it, burying him in the dark, damp compost until only the tufted leaves were visible. Hashirama-Sensei dusted off his hands, gave them all the thumbs-up and removed his own earmuffs. He took a moment to loom around at his students and sighed when his eyes landed on Subaru, who had passed out on the floor.

"Looks like Nakajima neglected her earmuffs," said Hashirama-Sensei.

"No, sir, she just fainted," said Teana after taking a look at her best friend.

"Well, just leave her then," said Hashirama-Sensei, waving her off. "Everyone, make sure your earmuffs are securely in place while you work. I will attract your attention when it is time to pack up. Four to a tray – there is a large supply of pots here – compost in the sacks over there – and be careful of the Blackbriar Thorn, it's teething."

He gave a sharp slap to a spiky, black plant as he spoke, making it draw in the long feelers that had been inching sneakily over his shoulder. Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate were joined at their tray by a silver-haired Hades girl Nanoha knew by sight but had never spoken to.

"Lisanna Strauss," she said brightly, shaking Nanoha by the hand. "I already know who you are, of course, the famous Nanoha Takamachi…and you're Fate Testarossa – you placed fourth in the world tournament." (Fate lowered her head shyly) " – and Hayate Yagami. You're the one who stole the Batmobile, right?"

Hayate didn't smile. The audio message was obviously still on her mind.

"That Tsukishima is something, isn't he?" said Lisanna happily as they began filling their pots with dragon dung compost – Nanoha had a feeling that Fried contributed somehow. "He's really brave, isn't he? Have you read his books? I would have died of fright if I had been cornered in a telephone booth by a Wyvern, but he stayed cool and – bam – just _fantastic_.

"My name down for Crocus, you know. I can't tell you how glad I am I came here instead. Of course, mother was slightly disappointed, but since I made her read Tsukishima's books I think she's begun to see how useful it'll be to have a fully trained mage in the family…"

After that, they didn't have much chance to talk. Their earmuffs were back on and they needed to concentrate on the Mandrakes. Hashirama-Sensei had made it look extremely easy, but it wasn't. The Mandrakes didn't like coming out of the dirt, but didn't seem to want to go back into it either. They squirmed, kicked, and flailed their sharp little fists, and gnashed their teeth; Nanoha spent ten minutes trying to squash a particularly fat one into a pot.

By the end of class, Nanoha, like everyone else, was sweaty, aching, and covered in dirt. Everyone traipsed back to the church for a quick shower and then the Kaisers hurried off to Alchemy. Linith-Sensei's classes were always hard work, but today was especially difficult. Everything Nanoha had learned last year seemed to have leaked out of her head during the holidays. She was supposed to be turning a beetle into a beetle into a button, but all she managed to do was give her beetle a lot of exercise as it scuttled over the desktop avoiding her Device.

Nanoha was relieved to hear to hear the lunch bell. Her brain felt like a wrung sponge. Everyone filed out of the classroom except her and Hayate, who had somehow missed her beetle and managed to transform her desk into a wolverine. Linith-Sensei said they couldn't leave until they sorted it out.

"How does this kind of stuff even happen around you?" Nanoha asked, driving back the wolverine with a chair.

"Maybe had something to do with mixing up whistle with weasel?" said Hayate.

"You think?" said Nanoha, just as the wolverine smashed its way through the chair.

After ten minutes of wrestling the beast and asking Raising Heart the spell to changing it back, they went down to lunch, where Hayate's mood was not improved by Fate and Teana's showing off the handful of perfect buttons they had produced in Alchemy. Though she felt slightly better when she looked at the smoky, charcoal-black mess that Subaru had created.

"What have we got this afternoon?" said Nanoha.

"Tactical Combat Instruction," said Teana at once.

"Tea," said Subaru curiously, seizing her schedule, "why did you outline all the Tactical Combat classes with little hearts?"

Teana snatched the schedule back, blushing furiously, and stiffly marched out the Great Hall.

They finished lunch and went outside into the overcast courtyard. Subaru wheeled Hayate under the cool shade of the nearby tree and relaxed on the grass next to her. Nanoha and Fate stood talking about Fate's matches in the world tournament before Nanoha became aware that she was being closely watched. Looking up, she saw the pink-haired girl she had seen at the Sorting last night staring at Nanoha as though transfixed. She was clutching a camera tightly in her hands, and the moment Nanoha looked at her, she went bright red. Nanoha had some difficult looking at her because the sunlight was reflecting off her wide forehead.

"All right, Nanoha? I'm – I'm Sakura Haruno," she said breathlessly, taking a tentative step forward. "I'm in Kaiser, too. Do you think – would it be all right if – I can have a picture of you and Lightning Testarossa?"

"A picture?" Nanoha repeated blankly.

"So I can prove I met you," said Sakura Haruno eagerly, edging further forward. "I know all about you. Everyone's told me. About how you survived when the Dark Queen tried to kill you and how she disappeared and everything and how you've still got a star scar on your chest" (her eyes raked Nanoha's neckline) "And I heard that Fate "Lightning" Testarossa is the youngest Brave Duel Champion in history. A girl in my dormitory said if I develop the film in the right mixture, the picture will _move_." Sakura drew a great shuddering breath of excitement and said, "It's _amazing _here, isn't it? I never knew all the weird stuff I could do was magic until I got my letter from St. Hilde. My dad's a carpenter, he couldn't believe it either. So I'm taking loads of pictures to send home to him. And it would be really great if I had one of you two. Maybe your friends could take it and I could stand between you? And then, could you sign it?"

"_Signed photos?_ You're giving out _signed photos_, Takamachi?"

Loud and scathing, Yuri Eberwein's voice echoed around the courtyard. She had stopped right behind Sakura, flanked, as she always was, by her large and thuggish cronies, Amitie and Kyrie Florian.

"Everyone line up!" Yuri roared to the crowd. "Nanoha Takamachi's giving out signed photos!"

"No, I'm not," said Nanoha angrily, her fists clenching. "Shut up, Yuri."

"You're just jealous," piped up Sakura.

"_Jealous_?" said Yuri, who didn't need to shout anymore: half the courtyard was listening in. "Of what? I don't want some ugly scar right in my chest, thanks. I don't think getting your chest cut open makes you that special, myself."

"Go to hell, Yuri," said Hayate as Subaru carted her over.

"Be careful, Yagami," sneered Yuri. "You don't want to start any trouble or big sis will have to come and take you away from school." She put on a shrill, piercing voice. "_If you put another toe out of line – "_

A knot of Material fifth-years nearby laughed at this.

"Yagami would like a signed photo, Takamachi," smirked Yuri. "It would be worth more than her family's whole house – "

Hayate summoned Schwertkreuz and threatened to stab Yuri's throat, but Subaru quickly pulled her back and whispered, "Look out!"

"What's all this, what's all this?" Shūkurō Tsukishima was striding toward them. "Who's giving out signed photos?"

Nanoha started to speak but she was cut short as Tsukishima flung an arm around her should and thunder jovially, "Shouldn't have asked! We meet again, Nanoha! Oh, and little Fate, too! Get in here!" She had very little choice as she found herself pinned to Tsukishima's side and burning with humiliation. "Come on then, Haruno. A triple portrait, can't do better than that, and we'll _all_ sign it for you."

Sakura fumbled for her camera and took the picture as the bell rang behind them, signaling the start of afternoon classes.

"Off you go, move along there," Tsukishima called to the crowd, and he set off back to the church with Fate and Nanoha, who was wishing she knew a good Vanishing Spell, still clasped to his side. "A word to the wise, you two. I covered up for you back there with young Haruno – if she was photographing me, too, your schoolmates won't think you're setting yourself up so much…"

Deaf to Nanoha's stammers, Tsukishima swept them down a hallway lined with staring students and up a staircase.

"Let me just say that handing out signed pictures at this stage of your career isn't sensible – looks a tad bigheaded, girls, to be frank. There will come a time when, like me, you'll need to keep a stack handy wherever you go, but" – he gave a little chortle – "I don't think you're quite there yet."

They had reached Tsukishima's classroom and he let Nanoha and Fate go at last. Nanoha yanked on Fate's hand and dragged her to a seat at the very back of the class, where she busied herself with piling all seven of Tsukishima's books in front of her, so that she could avoid looking at the real thing. The rest of the class came chattering in, and Subaru and Teana sat on either end of them while Hayate parked herself in the aisle.

"You could fry an egg on your face," said Hayate. "You'd better hope Haruno doesn't meet any more of your fans, or they'll be starting a Nanoha Takamachi fan club. Fate's already got one herself since she's on TV all the time."

Nanoha swiftly slapped her with Raising Heart. The last thing she needed was for Tsukishima to hear the phrase "Nanoha Takamachi fan club". When the whole class was seated, Tsukishima cleared his throat loudly and silence fell. He reached forward, picked up Rex Salazar's copy of _Tangle with the Tengu_, and held it up to show his own, smiling portrait on the front.

"Me," he said, pointing at it and smiling as well. "Shūkurō Tsukishima, Order of the Saint Church, Level Three, Honorary Member of the Dark Side Defenders, and five-time winner of _Sorcerer Weekly's_ Most-Charming Smile Award – but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of Baragan Behemoth by _smiling _at it!" he waited for them to laugh; no one did. "I see you've all bought a complete set of my books – well done. I thought we would start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about – just to check how well you've read them, how much you've taken in – "

When he had handed out the test papers he returned to the front of the class and said, "You have thirty minutes – start – _now!_"

Nanoha looked down at her paper and read:

_1. What is Shūkurō Tsukishima's favorite color?  
2. What is Shūkurō Tsukishima's secret ambition?  
3. What, in your opinion, is Shūkurō Tsukishima's greatest achievement to date?_

On and on it went, over three sides of paper, right down to:

_54. When is Shūkurō Tsukishima's birthday, and what would his ideal gift be?_

"I think I'd rather have Vita pin me in a stranglehold," groaned Nanoha.

Half an hour later, Tsukishima collected the papers and rifled through them in front of the class.

"Tut, tut – hardly any of you remembered that my favorite color is lilac. I say so in _Yearning for Yokai_. And a few of you need to read _Ways of the Wyvern_ more carefully –I clearly state in chapter twelve that my ideal birthday gift would be harmony between all magical and non-magical people – though I wouldn't say no to a large bottle of Hyrule Famous Mead!"

He gave them another roguish smile. Hayate was now staring at Tsukishima with an expression of disbelief on her face; Rex Salazar and Ben Tennyson, who were sitting in the front, were shaking with silent laughter. Teana, on the other hand, was listening to Tsukishima with rapt attention and gave a start when he mentioned her name.

"…But Miss Teana Lancaster knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair-care products – good girl! In fact" – he flipped her paper over – "full marks! Where is Miss Teana Lancaster?" Teana raised her trembling hand. "Excellent! Quite excellent! Take ten points for Kaiser! And so – to business – "

"**If his ambition is secret, why does he say it in the first place?**" said Raising Heart exasperated.

"Don't start, Raising Heart," moaned Nanoha.

Tsukishima bent down behind his desk and lifted a large, covered cage onto it.

"Now – be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to man! You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you remain calm."

In spite of herself, Nanoha leaned around her pile of books for a better look at the cage. Tsukishima placed a hand on the cover. Rex and Ben had stopped laughing now. Subaru was cowering in her seat.

"I must ask you not to scream," said Tsukishima in a low voice. "It might prove them." As the whole class held its breath, Tsukishima whipped off the cover. "Yes! _Freshly caught Kokiri fairies!_"

Ben Tennyson couldn't control himself. He let out a snort of laughter that even Tsukishima couldn't mistake for a scream of terror.

"Yes?" He smiled at Ben

"Well, they're not – they're not very – _dangerous_, are they?" Ben choked.

"Don't be so sure!" said Tsukishima, waggling a finger annoyingly at Ben. "Devilishly little creatures they can be!"

The fairies looked like little balls of light with stereotypical fairy wings, though they hardly compared to Fay-class fairies, which actually had a more human appearance. Their voices were buzzing and annoying, a lot of them saying '_Listen! Listen!_' for some odd reason. The moment the cover had been removed, they started jabbering and rocketing around, rattling the bars and screaming '_Listen! Listen!_' at the people nearest them.

"Right, then," Tsukishima said loudly. "Let's see what you make of them!"

And he opened the cage. It was pandemonium. The fairies shot in every direction like rockets two seized Hayate seized Hayate by the ears and lifted her into the air. Several shot through the window, showering the back row with broken glass. The rest proceeded to wreck the classroom more effectively than a rampaging Rancor. They grabbed ink pens and sprayed the class with them, shredded books with their nonexistent hands, tore pictures from the walls, up-ended the trash cans, grabbed books and bags and threw them out the smashed window; within minutes, half the class was sheltering under desks and Hayate was swinging from the iron chandelier in the ceiling.

"Come on now – round them up, round them up, they're only fairies," Tsukishima shouted. He rolled up his sleeve, brandished a bookmark, transformed it into a katana, and bellowed, "_Friskifari farfromi!_"

It had absolutely no effect; one of the fairies seized his katana and threw it out the window, too. Tsukishima gulped and dived under his own desk, narrowly avoiding being squashed by Hayate, who fell a second later as the chandelier gave way. The bell rang and there was a mad rush toward the exit with Subaru leading the charge, dragging Hayate in her wake. N the relative calm that followed, Tsukishima straightened up, caught sight of Nanoha, Fate, and Teana, who were almost at the door, and said:

"Well, I'll ask you three to just sweep the rest of them back into their cage."

He swept past them and shut the door quickly behind him.

"**Can you **_**believe **_**him, Sir?**" roared Bardiche as he slapped one of the remaining fairies out of the air.

"He just wants to give us some hands-on experience," said Teana, expertly shooting down two speeding fairies attempting to escape through the window and stuffing them back into the cage.

"_Hands On_?" said Nanoha, who waved Raising Heart carelessly, luckily smacking another fairy to stop it dead in its tracks. "Tea, he didn't have a clue what he was doing – "

"That's a lie," said Teana stubbornly. "You've read his books – look at all those amazing things he's done – "

"He _says _he's done," Fate muttered.

* * *

**Oh my Saint King! This chapter made me want to rip out my very soul and feed it to the demons of hell! You should already understand that I can't stand Tsukishima and the useless Sakura Haruno – she only recently started doing anything remotely helpful. This is going to be a hellish book for me to complete and I can't wait to end it. Next chapter, we understand a little about social stigma in the magical society and finally get a first glimpse of the mystery hidden in St. Hilde. Please wait until then.**


	7. Hush and Half-Breeds

**Nanoha and the Tomb of Shadows**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Hush and Half-Breeds**

Nanoha spent a lot of time over the next few days dodging out of sight whenever she saw Shūkurō Tsukishima coming down a hallway. Harder to avoid was Sakura Haruno, who seemed to have memorized Nanoha's schedule. Nothing seemed to give Sakura a bugger thrill than to say, "All right, Nanoha?" six or seven times a day and hear, "Hello, Sakura," however exasperated Nanoha sounded when she said it.

Lucy was still angry with Nanoha about the disastrous car journey and Hayate was still upset about the message Shamal sent her that one Friday morning; she lost her grip on Schwertkreuz in Mana class and stabbed Professor Stein in the back. So with one thing or another, Nanoha was quite glad to reach the weekend. She, Fate, and Hayate were planning to visit Erio, Caro, and Fried down by the forest on Saturday morning. Nanoha, however, was shaken awake several hours earlier than she would have liked by Terra Earthshaker, captain of the Kaiser Riot Force team.

"Terra," said Nanoha groggily. "What are you doing here?"

"**I think the better question is how he got in here?**" said Raising Hearts.

"Riot Force practice!" said Terra. "Come on!"

Nanoha squinted at the window. There was a thin mist hanging across the pink-and-gold sky. Now that she was awake, she couldn't understand how she could have slept through the racket the birds were making.

"Terra," Nanoha croaked. "It's the crack of dawn."

"Exactly," said Terra. He was a tall and burly sixth year and, at the moment, his eyes were gleaming with a crazy enthusiasm. "It's part of our new training program. Come on, get dressed, and let's go. None of the other teams have started training yet; we're going to be first off the mark this year – " Yawning and shivering slightly, Nanoha climbed out of bed and tried to find her Riot Force uniform. "Good girl. Meet you on the field in fifteen minutes."

"**First Tsukishima and now men entering little girl's rooms,**" said Raising Heart a Terra closed the door behind him. "**Vette was right, you are in danger.**"

Nanoha was too tired to make a witty remark. When she had found her snow-white team uniform and pulled on her coat for warmth, Nanoha scribbled a note to Fate explaining where she had gone and went down the spiral staircase to the common, Raising Heart in default form on her shoulder. She had just reached the archway when there was a clatter behind her and Sakura Haruno came dashing down the spiral staircase, her camera swinging madly around her neck and something clutched n her hand.

"I heard someone saying your name on the stairs, Nanoha! Look what I've got here! I've had it developed, I wanted to show you – "

Nanoha looked bemusedly at the photograph Sakura was brandishing under her nose. A moving, Shūkurō Tsukishima was tugging hard on an arm Nanoha recognized as her own. She was pleased to see that her photographic self was putting up a good fight and refusing to be dragged into view. As Nanoha watched, Tsukishima gave up and slumped, panting against the white edge of the picture.

"Will you sign it?" said Sakura eagerly.

"No," said Nanoha flatly, glancing around to check that the room was really deserted. "Sorry, Sakura, I'm in a hurry – Riot Force practice – " She walked through the archway.

"Oh, wow! Wait for me! I've never watched a Rot Force game before!" Sakura scrambled through the archway after her.

"It'll be really boring," Nanoha said quickly, but Sakura ignored her, her face shining with excitement.

"You were the youngest House player in a hundred years, weren't you, Nanoha? Weren't you?" said Sakura, trotting alongside her. "You also broke the world record for the longest sealing spell. You must be amazing. I don't have any natural ability for flight. Is it easy?" Nanoha didn't know how to get rid of her. It was like having an extremely talkative shadow. "I don't really understand Riot Force. Is it true there are four objects? And two of them fly around trying to blast people with magic?"

"Yes," said Nanoha heavily, resigned to explaining the complicated rules of Riot Force. "They are called Gadgets. There are two strikers on each team who beat the Gadgets away from their side. Agito and Rein Yagami are the Kaiser Strikers."

"And what are the other objects for?" Sakura asked, tripping down a couple of steps because she was gazing open-mouthed at Nanoha.

"Well, the Logia – that's the big red one – is the one that scores the goals. Three Forwards on each team throw or kick the Logia to each other and try to get it into the goal post at the end of the field."

"And the fourth object – "

" – is the Jewel Seed," said Nanoha, "and it's very small, very fast, and damn near impossible to catch. But that's what the Ace has got to do, because a game of Riot Force doesn't end until the Jewel Seed has been caught. The only ways to do that it to catch it with your hands or use a long-range sealing spell, which everyone says is nearly impossible. And whichever team's Ace gets the Jewel Seed earns their team an extra hundred and fifty points."

"And _you're _the Kaiser Ace, aren't you?" said Sakura in awe.

"Yes," said Nanoha as they left the church and started across the dew-drenched grass. "And there's the Rear Guard, too. He guards the goal post. That's it, really."

But Sakura didn't stop questioning Nanoha all the way down the sloping lawns to the Riot Force field, and Nanoha only shook her off when she reached the changing rooms; Sakura called after her in a piping voice, "I'll go and get a good seat, Nanoha!" and hurried off to the stands.

The rest of the Kaiser team was already in the changing room. Terra was the only person who looked truly awake. Agito and Rein Yagami were sitting, puffy-eyed and tousle-haired, next to fourth year Sora Kingdom, who seemed to be nodding off against the wall behind him. His fellow Forwards, Ventus Wayward and Riku Dawn, were yawning side by side opposite of them.

"There you are, Nanoha, what kept you?" said Terra briskly. "Now, I wanted a quick talk with you all before we actually get onto the field, because I spent the holidays devising a whole new training program, which I really think will make all the difference…"

Terra was holding up a projector that showed three-dimensional diagram of the Riot Force Field, which was dotted with many lines, arrows, and crosses in different colors. He typed a few points into the projector and the arrows began to wiggle around the diagram like flies. As Terra launched into a speech about his new tactics, Agito Yagami's head dropped right onto Sora Kingdom's shoulder and she began to snore. The first diagram took nearly twenty minutes to explain, but there was another after that, and a third one after that. Nanoha sank into a stupor as Terra droned on and on.

"So," said Terra, at long last, jerking Nanoha from a wistful fantasy about what she could be eating for breakfast at ths very moment up at the church. "Is that clear? Any questions?"

"I got a question, Terra," said Rein, who had woken with a start. "Why couldn't you have told us this yesterday when we were awake?"

Now, listen here, all of you," Terra said, glowering at them all. "We should have won the Riot Force cup last year. We are easily the best team. But unfortunately – owing to circumstances beyond our control – "

Nanoha shifted guiltily in her seat. She had been unconscious in the hospital wing after her encounter with Envy for the final match of the previous year, meaning that Kaiser had been a player short and had suffered their worst defeat in three hundred years. Terra took a moment to regain control of himself. Their last defeat was clearly still torturing him.

"So this year, we train harder than ever before…okay, let's go and put our new theories into practice!" Terra shouted, leading the way out of the locker rooms. Stiff-legged and still yawning, his team followed.

They had been in the locker room so long that the sun was up completely now, although remnants of mist hung over the grass in the stadium. As Nanoha walked onto the field, she saw Fate, Hayate, Teana, and Subaru sitting in the stands.

"Aren't you finished yet?" called Hayate incredulously.

"Haven't even started," said Nanoha, looking jealously at the buttered toast her roommates had brought out of the Great Hall. "Terra's been teaching us new moves. We should get to it, then. Raising Heart."

"**Axel Fins!**"

Nanoha had missed the feeling of Mana flowing through her body and spreading out from her feet, creating a pair of angelic pink wings at her ankles. She kicked off the ground eagerly, soaring freely in the sky that she loved so much. There was just something about the air in St. Hilde that made her feel more awake than Terra's long lecture. Now Nanoha knew that she was truly where she belonged. She soared right around the stadium at full speed, easily outracing Agito and Rein.

"What's that funny clicking noise?" called Agito as they hurtled around the corner.

Nanoha looked into the stands. Sakura was sitting in one of the highest seats, her camera raised, taking picture after picture, the sound strangely magnified in the deserted stadium.

"Look this way, Nanoha! This way!" she cried shrilly.

"Who's that?" said Agito.

"No idea," Nanoha lied, putting on a spurt of speed that took her as far away as possible from Sakura.

"What's going on?" said Terra, frowning, as he skimmed through the air toward them. "Why is that first year taking pictures? I don't like it. She could be a Material spy, trying to find out about our new training program."

"She's in Kaiser," said Nanoha quickly.

"And the Materials don't need a spy, Terra," said Rein.

"What makes you say that?" said Terra testily.

"Because they're here in person," said Rein, pointing.

Several people in black uniforms were walking onto the field, their Devices at the ready.

"I don't believe it!" Terra hissed in outrage. "I booked the field for today! We'll see about this!" Terra shot toward the ground, landing hard enough that his feet cracked the ground. Nanoha, Agito, and Rein followed. "Saïx! This is our practice time! We got up specially! You can clear off now!"

Saïx Isa was even larger than Terra and looked like he might be part werewolf. He had a look of cunning on his face as he replied, "Plenty of room for all of us, Terra."

Riku, Sora, and Ven had come over, too, standing shoulder to shoulder with their teammates as they leered down on the intruders.

"But I booked the field!" said Terra, positively spitting with rage. "I booked it!"

"Ah," said Saïx. "But I've got a specially signed note here from Presea-Sensei. '_I, Presea Testarossa, give the Material team permission to practice today on the Riot Force field owing to the need to train their new Ace'._"

"You got a new Ace?" said Terra, distracted. "Where?"

And from behind the six large figures before them came a seventh, smaller girl, smirking all over her fair-skinned face. It was Yuri Eberwein.

"Aren't you Dearche Eberwein's daughter?" said Agito, looking at Yuri with dislike.

"Funny you should mention Lord Dearche," said Saïx as the whole Material team smiled still more broadly. "Lord Dearche has made a generous donation to the Material team – seven new Unbreakable Dark upgrades for their Devices."

"Unbreakable Dark?" Rein whispered to the others. "That only came out a month ago."

"They are the very latest in Aerial Device technology," said Saïx, looking particularly smug. "I believe it outstrips the old Hybrid Cartridge System by a considerable amount. And as for the old Belkan Guardian System" – he smiled nastily at Agito and Rein – "well, need I say more?"

None of the Kaiser team could think of anything to say for a moment. Yuri was smirking so broadly her cold eyes were reduced to slits.

Oh, look," said Saïx. "A field invasion."

Fate and Teana were crossing the grass with Subaru wheeling Hayate behind them to see what was going on.

"What's going on here?" Fate asked Nanoha. "Why aren't you playing? And what is _she _doing here?"

"I'm the new Material Ace, Testarossa," said Yuri, smugly. "Everyone has just been admiring the new Unbreakable Dark upgrades my mother bought our team." Hayate and Subaru gaped at this new information. "Amazing, aren't they? But perhaps the Kaiser team will be able to raise some credits and get new upgrades, too. You could raffle those Belkan Guardian Systems; I expect a museum would bid for them."

The Material team howled with laughter.

"At least no one on the Kaiser team had to _buy _their way in," said Teana sharply. "_They_ got in on pure talent."

The smug look on Yuri's face flickered.

"No one asked for your opinion, you filthy little half-breed," she spat.

Before Nanoha knew what had happened, a blue and white blur flickered past and tackled Yuri hard to the ground. Subaru, looking angrier than Nanoha had ever seen her, had one hand around Yuri's throat and summoning her Revolver Knuckle on the other. As the gears started winding on Subaru's Device, Nanoha was worried that she would actually kill Yuri. Though thankfully it didn't happen as Saïx pulled out his claymore and whacked Subaru off his Ace. While Subaru tumbled on the ground, Saïx moved in for a second swing, only to be stopped by Terra, who ripped the claymore out of the Material captain's hands and threw a clean right hook to the face.

After that, all hell broke loose. All the Riot Force players, Subaru, and even Fate were locked in a free-for-all grudge match – spells and Devices flying everywhere, ripping the field grounds apart. Nanoha and Teana had to pull back Hayate, who seemed rather eager to join the fray. The trio barely ducked when Fate accidentally shot her Trident Smasher in their direction. Up in the stands, Sakura was clicking her camera like a madwoman, trying to get every angle on the fight.

"Whoa, this is awesome!" said Sakura, fascinated. "Hey, Nanoha, get in there so I can get an action shot! Ooh, think you can use that Divine Buster thing you used last year?"

"Shut up, Sakura!" Nanoha, Teana, Hayate, Cross Mirage and Raising Heart snapped together.

* * *

It was twenty minutes later when Nanoha was supporting Fate on her shoulder and Subaru was being carried on Teana's back, both looking worse for wear. The fight had finally broken up when Linith-Sensei had heard the commotion and separated every, deducting a hundred points from both Kaiser and Material. Fate, being a professional duelist, only came out of the fight exhausted with a cut lip. Subaru, on the other hand, was sporting an impressive shiner from where Yuri had blasted her in the face, which was throbbing painfully. Hayate had suggested that they go to Schach's shack since it was closest and Schach would definitely have experience with injuries like this.

"Well, practice didn't go as well as I had hoped," said Nanoha. "But seeing the look on Yuri's face when you kicked her in the face was worth it, Fate-Chan."

"Thank you, Nanoha," said Fate, looking paler than normal. "But when mother finds out…"

"Try not to think about it," Hayate suggested as the gamekeeper's cabin came into view. "You guys will be all right in a minute – we're almost there – "

They were within twenty feet of Schach's shack when the front door opened, but it wasn't Schach who emerged. Shūkurō Tsukishima, looking particularly creepy this morning, came striding out.

"Quick, behind here," Nanoha hissed, dragging Fate and Hayate behind a nearby bush. Teana reluctantly followed with Subaru.

"It's a simple matter if you know what you are doing!" Tsukishima was saying loudly. "If you need help, you know where I am! I'll let you have a copy of my book. I'm surprised you haven't already got one – I'll sign one tonight and send it over. Well, good-bye!" And he strode away toward the church.

Nanoha waited until Tsukishima was out of sight, and then pulled her friends out of the bush and up to Schach's front door. They knocked urgently. When the door opened, Nanoha found Starda only an inch from her nose in the hands of a grumpy looking Erio, whose expression brightened when he saw who it was, particularly Fate.

"We were just wondering when you would come to see us," said Erio, ushering them inside. "Sorry about that – thought you were Tsukishima. Schach's not in right now – she had to deal with a rampaging troll in the forest."

Teana deposited Subaru on the large bed in the corner, earning a groan from her friend, while Nanoha and Hayate helped Fate into a chair. Caro, who had been making a pot of tea, quickly put it aside and marched over to Fate, summoning her Mana from her hands onto the blonde student in a shower of pink, healing Fate's cut lip in an instant. Fate thanked her friend as she moved across the room to Subaru.

"This is going to take a little longer, Subaru, so try not to move," warned Caro, kneeling next to her, showing her in pink energy. "My healing magic isn't as good as Dr. Chopper's, but it should get the job done. Fried, would you be so kind as to finish the tea for me?"

Standing on a wooden perch near the ceiling of the shack was the mini-Fried, who chirped in response to his tamer and glided down next to the tea pot, breath a small fire to heat it up.

"What did Tsukishima want with you, Erio?" asked Hayate.

"Giving me advice on how to fend off a group of wyvern," growled Erio, moving a half-plucked rooster off the scrubbed table and taking a seat on it, waiting for Fried to finish. "Like I don't know. I'm a Dragon Knight for Olivie's sake! And going on about some behemoth he banished. If one word of it was true, I'll eat Fried."

"I don't like him," said Caro softly. "I could feel his eyes on me the entire time."

It was most unusual for Erio and Caro to criticize a St. Hilde teacher, and Nanoha looked at them in surprise, but not too surprised – she knew exactly how Caro felt. Teana, however, said in a voice somewhat higher than usual, "I think you're being a bit unfair. Carim-Sensei obviously thought he was the best man for the job – "

"He was the _only _man for the job," said Erio, offering them a plate of chocolate fudge from the cabinet, while Subaru slowly sat up on the bed. "And I mean the _only _one. It's getting very difficult to find anyone for the Tactical Combat job. People aren't eager to take it on, you know. They're starting to think the position is cursed. No one has lasted longer than a year – Jellal-Sensei was just lucky something bad didn't happen to him. So tell me," said Erio, jerking his head to Subaru. "Why do you guys look like crap?"

"Subaru beat up Yuri," Nanoha explained. "She called her something – it must have been really bad, because everyone went wild."

"It was more than bad," Teana said grimly. "She called me a half-breed – "

"She what?" Erio growled.

"She didn't," Caro gasped; Fried chirped angrily.

"I heard Dearche say something about a half-breed at Silent Hill," said Nanoha slowly. "What _is _a half-breed?"

"**Master…**" Raising Heart in a low voice. "**A half-breed is a slanderous term that refers to mages who are born to one or more Machlos parents. It is widely considered an unspeakable insult in Mid-Childa, but there are some families – such as the Eberweins – who believe they are better than everyone else because they are what people call pure-blood.**"

"Both of my parents were Machlos police officers before they died," said Teana, bring her knees up to her chest. "My brother was a Machlos, too. But when he was killed, I started staying with the Nakajimas since Carim-Sensei knew I had magical potential. I didn't try to hide my heritage, but I never thought someone call me a half-breed."

"Most people don't care if you are half-blood or not," said Fate sincerely. "My family has been pure-blood for generations and my mother still talks to her Machlos friends from when she was a child. My sister even says that her boyfriend is half-blooded."

"And they haven't invented a spell out Tea can't do," said Subaru proudly, making Teana go a brilliant shade of magenta.

"It's a disgusting thing to call someone," said Hayate heatedly. "Dirty blood, see. Halfling freak. It's ridiculous. Most mages these days are half-blood anyway. If we hadn't mated with Machlos we would have died out centuries ago."

"Well, I don't blame you for attack her, Subaru," said Caro, finishing her treatment. "But maybe it wasn't a good idea to get her riled up. I expect that Dearche Eberwein will come marching up to the school if she finds out that you turned her daughter into a human piñata. You're lucky that your adopted father is such an influential man in the TSAB."

"Well, on that pleasant note," said Erio abruptly as though struck by a sudden thought. "I've got a bone to pick with you, Nanoha. I heard you've been giving out signed photos. How come I haven't got one?"

"I have _not _been giving out signed photos!" Nanoha said hotly. "If Tsukishima is still spreading that around – "

"I'm only joking," Erio laughed, patting Nanoha genially on the back and sending her face first into the table. "I knew you hadn't really been giving out signed photos. I told Tsukishima you didn't need to. You're more famous than him without trying."

"Bet he didn't like that," said Nanoha, sitting up and rubbing her chin.

"Don't think he did," said Erio, his eyes twinkling. "And then Caro told him she had never read one of his books and he decided to go. Not that I'm disappointed, of course. Hey," he grinned in a mischievous manner, "wanna see what Schach's been working on?"

When Nanoha and the others finished the last of the tea and fudge, they followed Erio into the small vegetable patch behind Schach's shack, where a dozen of the largest pumpkins Nanoha had ever seen were growing. They must have been the size of boulders.

"They're doing really well," said Erio happily. "Schach's been growing them for the Hollow's Eve feast…should be big enough by then."

"What has she been feeding them?" said Fate.

"Well, I'm not supposed to say this, but she's been – you know – getting some help – "

They were easily able to deduce that Schach had been using magic to move along their growth. Schach was always so skilled and speedy in combat that she hardly ever used magic during a real fight, but there was a proper reason for that. Schach wasn't allowed to use magic – the Output Limiter on her Linker Core made sure of that. Schach had been expelled from St. Hilde in her third year, but Nanoha had never found out why – any mention of the matter and Schach would clear her throat loudly and become mysteriously deaf until the subject was changed.

"I suspect that she must have used a growth formula," said Fate, halfway between disapproval and amusement. "Mother has been complaining lately how all her batches seem to go missing. But good job, nonetheless."

"That's what your little sister said," said Caro, nodding at Hayate. "We just met her yesterday." She looked sideways at Nanoha, the corners of her mouth twitching. "She said she was just looking around the grounds, but I think she was hoping she might run into someone else at Schach house. If you ask me, _she _wouldn't say no to a signed photo."

"She would probably prefer my femur bone," said Nanoha dryly.

Erio and the girls snorted with laughed. It was nearly lunchtime and since Caro cut them off from anymore of Schach's fudge, Nanoha and the others were eager to go back to the church and eat. They said good-bye to Erio, Caro, and Fried and walked back up to the church. They had barely set foot in the cool entrance hall when a voice rang out.

"There you are, Takamachi – Yagami." Linith-Senseiwas walking toward them, looking stern. "You will both do your detentions this evening."

"What are we doing, Sensei?" said Hayate, nervously.

"_You _will be polishing the silver in the trophy room with Mr. Castle," said Linith-Sensei. "And no magic, Yagami – elbow grease."

Hayate gulped. Frank Castle – AKA the Punisher – was the gun trotting caretaker of the church that was hated by everyone.

"And you, Takamachi, will be helping Tsukishima-Sensei answer his fan mail," said Linith-Sensei.

Her, alone with Tsukishima-Sensei, in a dark and secluded room with no proper supervision – Nanoha quickly covered her chest, almost feeling Tsukishima's stare piercing through the ceiling several floors above.

"Oh n – Sensei, can't I go and do the trophy room, too?" said Nanoha desperately.

"Certainly not," said Linith-Sensei, raising her eyebrows. "Tsukishima-Sensei requested you particularly. Eight o'clock sharp, both of you."

Nanoha and Hayate slouched into the Great Hall, the other following behind them, Teana wearing a _well-you-did-break-the-rules_ sort of expression. Nanoha didn't even enjoy her corn casserole as much as she had thought. Both she and Hayate felt they had got the worse deal.

"Punisher will have me there all night," said Hayate heavily. "No magic! There must be about a hundred cups in that room. I'm no good at Machlos cleaning."

"I'd swap anytime," said Nanoha hollowly. "On second thought, I would wish anyone to be trapped in a room with that creep. I feel like he's always undressing me with his eyes in class."

Saturday afternoon seemed to melt away, and in what seemed like no time, it was five minutes to eight, and Nanoha was dragging her feet along the seventh-floor hallway to Tsukishima's office. She gritted her teeth and knocked. The door flew open at once. Tsukishima beamed down at her.

"There's the little troublemaker!" he said. "Come in, Nanoha, come in – "

Shining brightly on the walls by the light of many scented candles were countless framed photographs of Tsukishima, all peering down on Nanoha like a gazelle in a den of lions. He had even signed a few of them. Another large pile lay on his desk.

"You can address the envelopes!" Tsukishima told Nanoha, as though this was a huge treat. "The first one is to Gladys Gudgeon, bless her – big fan of mine – "

The minutes snailed by. Nanoha let Tsukishima's voice wash over her, occasionally saying, "Mmm" and "Right" and "Yeah". But every now and then, Nanoha was pulled out of her stupor when Tsukishima's hand touched her own and she instinctively pulled back. he apologized and said that he was either reaching for a new piece of paper or his hand slipped, but Nanoha didn't fail to notice that his hand seemed to 'mysteriously' move further up her arm. Nanoha tried to move her seat away, but he moved even closer, saying the light was better.

The candles burned lower and lower, making the light dance over the many faces of Tsukishima watching her. Nanoha moved her aching hand over what felt like the thousandth envelope, writing out Veronica Vreeland's address. _It must be nearly time to leave, _Nanoha thought miserably, _Please let it be nearly time…_

And then she heard something – something quite apart from the spitting of the dying candles and Tsukishima's prattling about his fans. It was a voice, a voice to chill the bone marrow, a voice of breathtaking, ice-cold venom.

"_Alabanza… alabanza, mi bestia… es el momento… tiempo para cazar… tiempo de matar_"

Nanoha gave a huge jump and a large lilac blot appeared on Veronica Vreeland's street.

"_What?_" she said loudly.

"I know!" said Tsukishima. "Six sold months at the top of the best-seller list! Broke all records."

"No," said Nanoha frantically. "That voice!"

"Sorry?" said Tsukishima, looking puzzled. "What voice?"

"That – the voice that said – didn't you hear it?"

Tsukishima was looking at Nanoha in high astonishment.

"What _are _you talking about, Nanoha? Perhaps you are getting a little drowsy. By the Saint King – look at the time! We've been here nearly four hours! I'd never have believed it – time's flown, hasn't it?"

Nanoha didn't answer. She was straining her ears to hear the voice, but there was no sound now except for Tsukishima telling her she mustn't expect a treat like this every time she got detention. Feeling dazed, Nanoha left. It was so later that the Kaiser common room was almost empty. Nanoha went straight up to the dormitory. Hayate wasn't back yet. Nanoha pulled on her pajamas, got into bed, and waited. Half an hour later, Hayate arrived, nursing her right arm and bringing a strong smell of polish into the darkened room.

"My muscles have all seized up," she groaned, pulling herself into bed. "Fourteen times he made me buff up that Riot Force cup before she was satisfied. And then he had me clean up the Special Awards for Services to the Church over fifty times because it wasn't shiny enough. So, how was Tsukishima?"

It was, in fact, horrible being trapped in a room with the man trying to feel her up, but she decided not to focus on that at the moment. Keeping her voice low so as not to wake Fate, Teana, and Subaru, Nanoha told Hayate exactly what she had heard.

"And Tsukishima said he couldn't hear it?" said Hayate. Nanoha could see her frowning in the moonlight. "Do you think he was lying? But I don't get it – even someone invisible would have had to open the door."

"I know," said Nanoha, lying back in her bed and staring at the canopy above her. "I don't get it either."

* * *

**If anyone says they hate Tsukishima now more than ever, then my work here is done. I will take great pleasure in getting rid of him at the end – Lockhart's situation will seem like he got off easy compared to what I have planned for Tsukishima. Anyway, I will particularly enjoy the next chapter: one of the Shinigami is not who they appear to be, a foreboding soul holds a dangerous Secret, and the first victim of the attack is not one that anyone could expect. See ya then!**


	8. The Captaincy Party

**Nanoha and the Tomb of Shadows**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

* * *

**Chapter Eight: The Captaincy Party**

May arrived, bringing with it showers of rain that spread a damp chill over the grounds and into the church. Tony-Tony Chopper, the school doctor, was kept busy by a sudden spate of colds among the staff and students. His remedies of various peppers and other spices worked instantly, though it left the drinker smoking at the ears for several hours afterward. Vita Yagami, who had been looking pale, was bullied into taking some by Signum. The steam pouring from under her vivid hair gave the impression that her whole head was on fire.

Raindrops the size of bullets thundered on the church windows for days on end; the lake rose, the flower beds turned into muddy streams, and Schach's pumpkins swelled to the size of gardening sheds. Terra Earthshaker's enthusiasm for regular training sessions, however, was no dampened, which was why Nanoha was to be found, late one stormy Saturday afternoon a few days before Hollow's Eve, returning to Kaiser Tower, drenched to the skin and splattered in mud.

Even aside from the rain and wind it hadn't been a happy practice session. Agito and Rein, who had been spying on the Material team, had seen for themselves the speed of those new Unbreakable Dark Systems. They reported that the Material team was no more than seven blackish blurs, shooting through the air like missiles.

As Nanoha squelched along the deserted corridor she came across somebody who looked just as preoccupied as she was. Tōshirō Hitsugaya, captain of the Gotei 13's tenth division and one of two captains in charge of church security, was stomping down the hallways, arms crossed, muttering under his breath, "…all the irresponsible…how did she even make it this far…"

"Hello, Captain Hitsugaya," said Nanoha with a salute.

"Oh, hello, Nanoha," said Captain Hitsugaya, starting and looking around. He looked relatively young, close to Nanoha's age, with hair as white as snow. He wore the black _Shihakushō_ like all Shinigami with the exception of the white _haori _branded with the number ten. "You look a little troubled, Takamachi."

"So do you," said Nanoha.

"Ah," Captain Hitsugaya sighed exasperatedly. "It's my lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto. I left a stack of order forms and report files for her to sort through last night and when I came back this morning, not a single form had been touched. I heard word from Captain Suì-Fēng's lieutenant that she went drinking down at the Belkan District and is wandering the church somewhere, half naked. You would think for someone who has been in this business longer than I have, she would learn to be a little more responsible."

"**You would think**," said Raising Heart.

"Not that I want to get rid of Rangiku-San," said Nanoha thoughtfully. "But haven't you ever considered getting a new lieutenant. I mean, you are the captain, after all."

"Believe me, the thought has crossed my mind," said Captain Hitsugaya. "He is lazy, lecherous, unmotivated, vapid, vain, self-absorbed, vanity obsessed drunk with no sense of responsibility and…wait, where I going with this? Oh yeah. But despite her long list of negatives, Rangiku is a capable Shinigami when she sets her mind to it. She may be poor with paperwork, but there is no one I would rather have at my side in a battle than Rangiku. The problem is actually finding her." He took several deep breaths and then said, "So – what's bothering you? Anything I can do?"

"No," said Nanoha. "Not unless you know where we can get seven free Unbreakable Dark systems for our match against Mat – "

The rest of Nanoha's sentence was drowned out by a deep, thundering growl from somewhere near her ankles. She looked down and found herself gazing into a pair of hellfire red eyes. It was Max, the bulking black bulldog who was used by the caretaker, the Punisher, as a sort of deputy in his never-ending battle against students.

"You better get out of here, Nanoha," said Captain Hitsugaya quickly. "Frank and Max have been reporting all trouble in the church to Captain Suì-Fēng recently – someone ripped her favorite autographed poster of Yoruichi Shihōin and she's been cracking down on the students harder than she should. If she sees you dripping mud all over the place – "

"Right," said Nanoha, backing away from the accusing stare of Max, but not quickly enough. Drawn to the spot by the mysterious power that seemed to connect him with his evil mutt, Frank Castle burst suddenly through a tapestry to Nanoha's right, Captain Suì-Fēng appearing just a second after. The Captain of the Second Division was a thin and petite woman, but she was the most well respected Shinigami in the church as well as the most feared. It took very little to set her off when she was angry about something, mostly taking it out on her blob of a lieutenant.

"Filth!" she shouted, her jowls aquiver, her eyes popping alarmingly as she pointed at the muddy puddle that had been dripping from Nanoha's Riot Force uniform. "Mess and muck everywhere! How dare you defile this sacred structure in such a way! I won't stand for this, I tell you! Follow me, Takamachi!"

So Nanoha waved a gloomy good-bye to Captain Hitsugaya, ignored the smug look of the Punisher's face, and followed Captain Suì-Fēng back upstairs, doubling the number of muddy footprints on the floor.

Nanoha had never been inside Captain Suì-Fēng's office before; it was a place most students and Shinigami avoided. The room was rather large with a polished hardwood floor and lit by half a dozen miniature suns. A faint smell of friend fish and cold milk lingered about the place – a couple of black cats were curled in the corner of the room, fast asleep. Wooden filing cabinets stood around the walls; from their labels, Nanoha could see that most of them contained detailed reports of every person Captain Suì-Fēng had ever punished. Agito and Rein Yagami had an entire cabinet to themselves. An autograph poster of a dark-skinned woman was placard on the back wall, winking down at the Captain's desk.

Captain Suì-Fēng grabbed a pen from her desk drawer and began shuffling around looking for a form. When she stood back up, she was holding a large roll of paper and stretched it out in front of her, scribbling the surface at lightning speed.

"_Name_…Nanoha Takamachi. _Crime_…"

"It was only a little mud!" said Nanoha.

"It was only a little mud for you, child, but to our staff it's an extra hour of scrubbing!" shouted Captain Suì-Fēng. "_Crime…_befouling the church…_suggested sentence_…"

Tappng her chin thoughtfully for a moment, Captain Suì-Fēng squinted unpleasantly at Nanoha, who waited with bated breath for her sentence to fall. But as Captain Suì-Fēng lowered her pen to the paper, there was a great **BANG! **On the ceiling of the office, which made the mini-suns quiver.

"LOKI!" Captain Suì-Fēng roared, flinging down her pen in a fit of rage. "That is the last time you will get away with this! I will make sure you don't cause any trouble again!"

And without a backwards glance at Nanoha, Captain Suì-Fēng literally dashed out of sight, leaving only an empty space of where she once was. Loki was the Trickster God of Norse legend that had taken up residence in St. Hilde, much to the exasperation of everyone in the church. Nanoha didn't much like Loki, but couldn't help feeling grateful for his timing. Hopefully, whatever Loki had done (and it sounded as though he had wrecked something very big this time) would distract Captain Suì-Fēng from Nanoha.

Thinking that she should probably wait for Captain Suì-Fēng to come back, Nanoha sank into an elegant wooden chair next to the desk. There was only one thing on it apart from her half-completed form: a large, glossy, purple envelope with a black cat sticker on the front. With a quick glance at the door to check that Captain Suì-Fēng wasn't on her way back, Nanoha picked up the envelope and read:

_**Dear, Little Bee**_

_**How's life at the church? Meet any cute guys yet? Had a date? Get a kiss? And a little late night fun, if you know what I mean? I was just thinking of stopping by Metropolis and picking me up a rich man to hook up with – only joking, only joking. You know my Little Bee is the only one for me. You worry too much.**_

_**Anyway, I'm still on Amestris on secret infiltration mission, so I can't give too many details in case this letter is intercepted. Word through the grapevine is that a shapeshifter is filtering through the TSAB headquarters on multiple planets, stealing top-secret data from their database. Rumor has it that the infiltrator works for the Dark Queen. My first thought was the Homunculus named Envy, but you already told me that it was destroyed last year.**_

_**And about that thing we discussed the other day: you know I hate the term half-breed – it's disgusting. I don't think anyone has a right to judge you because your parents are Machlos. So what if people find out? You are the first half-blooded Material in history, captain of the Gotei 13's second division, and head of the Onmitsukidō. You are a well-respected Shinigami and I love you for it. And if anyone has a problem with it, you can always kick there asses. **_

_**I've reached a dead end on this world and will be moving to the next one very soon. I have to make sure that all TSAB sanctioned facilities are secure before I can make my way back to Mid-Childa. Hopefully by the time I get back, we could have a little 'fun'. I promise that you won't be getting any sleep.**_

_**Love,**_

_**Black Cat**_

Nanoha was stunned, having read through the letter twice to make sure she had read it right. Beyond the idea that cold and ruthless Captain Suì-Fēng was dating, a woman no less, was that she was a half-blooded Shinigami. Material has always had a reputation for only accepting 'pure-blooded' students, so why was Captain Suì-Fēng the exception? Nanoha ruffled through the envelope and noticed a small photograph, probably a picture of this Black Cat person. She was just about to look at it when shuffling footsteps outside told her Captain Suì-Fēng was coming back. Stuffing the letter back into the envelope, Nanoha threw it back onto the desk just as the door opened. Captain Suì-Fēng looked more annoyed than last time.

"That Vanishing Cabinet was extremely valuable," she growled in a low voice. "I'll have that trickster menace out of the church this time. I will not keep – "

Her eyes fell on Nanoha and then darted to the letter, which, Nanoha realized too late, was lying two feet away from where it had started. Captain Suì-Fēng's pale face went brick red. Nanoha braced herself for a tidal wave of fury. Captain Suì-Fēng stepped quietly to her desk, snatched up the envelope, and threw it into a drawer.

"Have you – did you read - ?" she sputtered.

"No," Nanoha lied quickly.

"If I thought you had read through my private – not that it's mine – mailed by accident – be that as it may – however – "

Nanoha was staring at her, alarmed; Captain Suì-Fēng had never looked so helpless. Her eyes were low to the ground, her face flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and anger, playing with her fingers like a timid school girl. If Nanoha ever told anyone she had seen this side of the captain, no one would believe her.

"Very well – go – and don't breathe a word – not that – however, if you didn't read – go now, I have write up Loki's report – go – "

Amazed at her luck, Nanoha sped out of the office, up the corridor, and back upstairs. To escape from Captain Suì-Fēng's office without punishment was probably some kind of school record – the second one she had broken in two years.

"Nanoha! Nanoha! Did it work?" Captain Hitsugaya came gliding out of a classroom. Behind him, Nanoha could see the wedging of a large black-and-gold cabinet that appeared to have been dropped from a great height. "Though it's not in my nature, I pursued Loki to drop it right over Captain Suì-Fēng's office. I thought it might distract her – "

"Was that you?" said Nanoha gratefully. "Yeah, it worked, I didn't even get detention. Thanks, Captain Hitsugaya." They set off up the corridor together. Captain Hitsugaya, Nanoha noticed, was still of the lookout for his naked drunk of a lieutenant. "Do you need any help looking for Rangiku-San? I could have Raising Heart send out some seekers."

"No, knowing Rangiku, she has probably fallen asleep in the kitchens…again," said Captain Hitsugaya, suddenly turning on Nanoha. "But there might be something you could do for me. Actually – now that I think about it – it might be asking a little too much – "

"What is it?" said Nanoha.

"Well, this Hollow's Eve will be the five hundredth year anniversary of my captaincy," said Captain Hitsugaya, drawing himself up and looking dignified.

"Wow," said Nanoha in awe, looking the young captain up and down. "You're really short for someone who is over five hundred years old."

"That's not the point!" snapped Captain Hitsugaya, quickly clearing his throat importantly. "I'm holding a party in one of the roomier classrooms in the lower levels. I have friends and Captains from other divisions coming to celebrate with the exception of, thank Kami, the Eleventh Division's captain. A lot of them a huge fans of yours and I thought it would be a nice treat for them if you attended. You can also bring those girls you hang out with: Testarossa, Yagami, Lancaster, and Nakajima. But then again, you would probably want to attend the school feast instead."

"No," said Nanoha quickly, "I'll come – "

"Oh, that would be wonderful!" said Captain Hitsugaya cheerfully. "I can't wait to introduce you to my friend, Momo. She's the lieutenant of the fifth division. I think you two would really get along. And I'm sure Testarossa would gladly welcomed – even Shinigami watch Brave Duel – "

Nanoha had never seen Captain Hitsugaya this excited before – he really did look like a kid.

* * *

"A captaincy party?" said Fate keenly when Nanoha had changed at last and joined her roommates in the common room. "I bet there aren't many living souls who can say they've been to one of those – it sounds fascinating."

"Wait, so Captain Hitsugaya is over five hundred years old?" asked Subaru, who was halfway through her Scientific Research homework. "Do Shinigami grow at a shorter rate than living people or is he just a midget?" Teana quickly slapped her over the head. "Owie! That hurt, Tea!"

Rain was still lashing the windows, which was now inky black, but inside all looked bright and cheerful. The firelight glowed over the countless squashy armchairs where people sat reading, talking, doing homework or, in the case of Agito and Rein Yagami, trying to find out what would happen if you fed a firework to a salamander. Agito had "rescued" the brilliant orange, fire-dwelling lizard from a Magical Zoology class and it was now smoldering gently on a table surrounded by a knot of curious people.

Nanoha was at the point of telling her friends about Captain Suì-Fēng and the letter from Black Cat when the salamander suddenly whizzed into the air, emitting loud sparks and bangs as it whirled wildly around the room. The sight of Signum bellowing herself hoarse at Agito and Rein, the spectacular display of tangerine stars showering from the salamander's mouth, and its escape into the fire, with accompanying explosions, drove both Captain Suì-Fēng and the letter from Nanoha's mind.

* * *

By the time Hollow's Eve arrived, Nanoha was regretting her rash promise to go to the captaincy party. The rest of the church was happily anticipating their Hollow's Eve feast; the Great Hall had been decorated with the usual live bats, Schach's vast pumpkins had been carved into candle lit dinner tables fit for six, and there were rumors that Carim had booked a troupe of dancing skeletons for the entertainment.

"A promise is a promise," Teana reminded Nanoha bossily. "You _said _you would go to the captaincy party."

So at seven o'clock, Nanoha, Fate, Hayate, Teana, and Subaru walked straight past the doorway to the packed Great Hall, which was glittering invitingly with silver plates and candles, and directed their steps instead toward the lower levels. The hallway leading to Captain Hitsugaya's party had been lit with candle and the walls were made of wood rather than their usual stone – they also didn't move, which was unusual for a St. Hilde hallway. There was a loud chatter coming from the end of the hall accompanied by a harmony of traditional Japanese instruments that Nanoha could name.

"Well, it's not as bad as I thought it would be," said Hayate. They turned a corner and saw Captain Hitsugaya and his fully dressed lieutenant standing at the doorway hung with dark green drape of daffodils

"My dear friends," he greeted proudly. "Welcome, welcome, so pleased you could make it. There are quite a number of people who had been looking forward to your visit."

He and Rangiku bowed them inside. It was an incredible sight. The classroom was replaced by a traditional tatami mat room full of hundreds of men and women dressed in black _Shihakushō _and only a handful of them were dotted with white _haori_. Most of them were crowded around the dance floor, waltzing to the sound of strings and flutes played by the troupe at the back wall and others merely socialized around the edges. From the moment they walked in, all eyes were instantly on Nanoha and her friends – it must have been unusual for non-Shinigami to attend such a party.

"Er – hi, everybody," Nanoha waved nervously. "We're – "

"Nanoha Takamachi," said a pale-skinned, oddly-faced Captain, edging eerily closer to her. Nanoha couldn't help but wonder why she only attracted freaks like him and Tsukishima. "I've heard all about your exploits with the Queen of Darkness. It is a curious phenomenon as to how an infant could survive such an experience." His grin stretch father than humanly possible. "Please allow the opportunity to dissect you to see what makes you tick."

"Surprisingly, you're not the first to say that," said Nanoha, quickly thinking of Professor Stein.

And before Nanoha knew it, she was swarmed by over a dozen Shinigami began crowding her, asking questions and shaking her hand faster than she could respond. She looked back at her friends and noticed that most of them had disappeared in the fray – Fate was also being attacked by fans, but she handled it much better than Nanoha. She was grateful to get away from them after Fate pulled her away five minutes later and started looking for their friends in the midst of the number of unusual people. They passed a giant dog-human captain, a drunken captain in a pink kimono, a white haired captain passed out on the floor, and silver-haired captain that wouldn't even open his eyes – creepy. She ran into a surprising number of captain level Shinigami at this party, but the one she was least looking forward to meet was Suì-Fēng_._

"Oh no," said Fate, stopping abruptly. "Turn back, turn back, I don't want to talk to Secret – "

"Who?" said Nanoha as they backtracked quickly.

"She a ghost that haunts the Midnight Tower – the dark place that no one is allowed to enter," said Fate.

"And why does she bother you?"

"Because she's not like normal ghosts. She has strange powers – she can transport herself almost anywhere in the castle instantly and can actually touch you instead of just pass through you. She's very vicious. One time I was in the restroom and she popped into my stall. I yelled at her and then she dunked me in the toilet."

"So that's why you smelled so bad last week," said Nanoha. "Okay, we'll stay away from her. Hey – I think I see the others."

On the other side of the classroom was a long table, also covered in dark green velvet, where Teana, Hayate, and Subaru were stuffing their faces with food. Nanoha stared jealously as Subaru slurped down yakisoba without even stopping to breathe. The whole table was laden with silver plates full of plenty of rich Japanese delicacies such as Gyoza, Yakitori, Tonkatsu, ebi tempura, and Takoyaki. And the pride of the place was an enormous dark green cake decorated with daffodils and the kanji for ten with the words "Congratulations, Captain" written in icy-blue frosting. Nanoha partly wondered why Shinigami only had food associated with her home country, but she was too hungry to care.

"Who would have thought that Shinigami eat normal people food," said Teana, taking a bite of hakuto jelly. "Mmm, so sweet."

"Most souls don't need to eat or drink after they die," said Fate knowledgably. "Only ones with strong spiritual power require the necessity of food to refuel their strength. Or at least that's what my mother told me."

"Who cares?" said Hayate, stuffing her cheeks with octopus balls.

Nanoha shook her head and her friend's antics and turned her attention to the delicious-looking Korokke. She had barely reached her hand out to grab one, however, when a devil-horned man dressed in green and gold swooped suddenly from under the table and came to a halt in midair before them, a broad grin on his wide, wrinkled face.

"Hello, Loki," said Nanoha cautiously.

"Lookie, lookie, it's taki-maki," said Loki sweetly, his eyes dancing. "Ooh, little kids can be so cruel. I heard you talking about poor little Secret behind her back. How rude you were to poor Secret. Maybe I should tell her." He took a deep breath and bellowed. "OY! SECRET!"

"Oh no, Loki, don't tell her what I said, she'll be really upset," Fate whispered frantically. "I didn't mean it, I don't mind her – er, hello, Secret."

A young-looking ghost of a girl had glided over. She had the saddest expression of anyone Nanoha had ever seen, half-hidden behind locks of golden hair and the white hood of her cloak.

"What?" she said sulkily.

"How are you, Secret?" said Fate in a falsely bright voice. "It's nice to see you out of the tower."

Secret's eyes narrowed sharply.

"Miss Testarossa was just talk about you – " said Loki shyly in Secret's ear.

"Just saying – saying – how nice you look tonight." Said Fate, glaring at Loki.

"You were talking behind my back, weren't you?" said Secret, the air around her becoming cold and thin, making it hard for them to breathe.

"No – honestly – didn't I just say how nice Secret is looking?" said Fate, nudging Hayate and Subaru painfully.

"Oh yeah – "

"She did – "

"Don't lie to me!" Secret roared, stiffening the noise from the other Shinigami, while Loki chuckled happily over her shoulder. "Do you think I don't know what people call me when they think I'm not looking? Creepy Secret! Ugly Secret! That miserable, moaning, moping Secret!"

"You forgot pimply," Loki hissed in her ear.

Secret unleashed a furious scream that threw the Nanoha, her friends, and everyone surrounding them off their feet before vanishing from the classroom in a puff of smoke. Loki glided out of the room to chase after her, yelling, "_Pimply! Pimply!_"

"Well, that went better than I had hoped," said Captain Hitsugaya, helping Nanoha to her feet. "Besides that little incident, I hope you are enjoying yourselves."

"It's great," said Hayate. "I don't even regret missing the feast."

"Yes, it's not a bad turnout," said Captain Hitsugaya proudly. "Even my grandmother has shown up even though she is so old and frail – she's really proud of me. It's nearly time for my speech, I'd better go and warn the musicians…"

The musicians, however, stopped playing at that very moment. They, and everyone else in the classroom, fell silent, looking around in worry, as a series of crashes sounded from down the hall.

"Oh no, not him…" said Captain Hitsugaya bitterly.

Rather than entering through the open door, the wall burst open with a thunderous crash, allowing a small squadron of hard-looking men to enter. The tallest of them with a man covered in scars and an eye patch, wearing a captain's _haori _with the number eleven on the back – this must have been the Eleventh Division captain that Captain Hitsugaya had talked about. Sitting on his shoulder with a gleeful smile with a little pink-haired chibi girl.

The squad of men marched into the middle of the dance floor – the other Shinigami stepping out of their way to create a path. The giant, battle-scarred man stared around the room, taking much glee out of everyone's heated stares, until his eyes fell on Captain Hitsugaya. The eleventh captain strode over in two steps and stood in front of his diminutive equal, patting his head more like a dog than a child.

"What's the big idea, shrimp?" said the tall captain. "Not inviting me and my boys out of your little party. Now that's just rude."

"Hello, Captain Zaraki," said Captain Hitsugaya stiffly. "I thought you and your 'boys' were on a mission to the lower east sector of the Seireitei. I didn't expect you to show up on Mid-Childa, let alone St. Hilde."

"Kenny killed all the bad guys real good," the little girl cheered. "There was blood everywhere – it was so cool!"

"There's something messed up with that kid," Teana whispered.

"Look, look, Kenny! Little magical girls!" said the little girl, pointing at them.

"So you invited living people to the party and not me- I'm hurt," said Captain Zaraki, kneeling down to them even though he was still a head higher than they were. "You must be real special to get invited to a captaincy party. So what did ya do? Bribe the kid with candy or something."

"C-Captain Hitsugaya and I are – " said Nanoha nervously, under the menacing stare of the giant. " – We're – we're friends, of course. I – I'm Nano – "

"If I could have everyone's attention please," Captain Hitsugaya shouted abruptly, thankfully taking the attention away from Nanoha. "If you don't mind, I would like to present my speech now!" He strode over to the podium and climbed under an icy-blue spotlight. "Ladies and gentlemen, captains and lieutenants, it is with great pleasure…"

"Boring!" Captain Zaraki yelled; Captain Hitsugaya stumbled. "No one gives a damn about some little speech. We just wanna party! Show 'em how it's done, boys!"

Apparently the Eleventh Division's idea of a party was a full out bareknuckle brawl because not even a minute later, every Shinigami in the room was fighting off Captain Zaraki and his men. More than once, Nanoha and her friends came close to being killed by the lunatic captain of the Eleventh Division, who was swinging his sword around madly, laughing all the way. Captain Hitsugaya was trying to call order from the podium, but was swiftly knocked out of the running with a wine bottle to the head.

"Let's get out of here before we become Shinigami ourselves!" shouted Hayate.

"Let's move," Fate hissed.

The magical girls dropped to their stomachs, decided to army crawl through the see of legs and sparks – Hayate hitched a ride on Subaru's back. It was difficult navigating their way out and they occasionally tripping some of the fighting swordsmen, but they successfully managed to reach the door, slamming it shut behind them, hurrying back down the wooden hallway.

"Dessert might not be finished yet," said Subaru hopefully, leading the way toward the steps to the entrance hall.

And then Nanoha heard it.

"_...alabanza…caza…matar…"_

It was the same voice, the same cold, murderous voice she had heard in Tsukishima's office. She stumbled to a halt, clutching at the wooden furnished wall, listening with all her might, looking around, squinting up and down the dimly lit hallway.

"Nanoha, what are you – ?"

"It's that voice again – shut up for a minute – "

"…_que ha sido demasiado largo… demasiado tiempo…"_

"Listen!" said Nanoha urgently, and the others froze, watching her.

"…_mi presa… tiempo de matar…"_

The voice was growing fainter. Nanoha was sure it was moving away – moving upward. A mixture of fear and excitement gripped her as she stared at the dark ceiling; how could it be moving upward? Was it a phantom, to whom wood and stone ceilings didn't matter?

"This way," she shouted, and she began to run, up the stairs, into the entrance hall. It was no good hoping to hear anything here, the babble of talk from the Hollow's Eve feast was echoing out of the Great Hall. Nanoha sprinted higher and higher up the marble staircase to the seventh floor, Fate, Teana, and Subaru carrying Hayate clattered behind her.

"Nanoha, what are we – "

"SHH!"

Nanoha strained her ears. Distantly, from the floor above, and growing fainter still, she heard the voice: _"…Huelo la sangre… HUELO LA SANGRE!"_

Her stomach lurched –

"I think it's going to kill someone!" she shouted, and ignoring the bewildered faces of her friends, she ran up the next flight of steps three at a time, trying to listen over her own pounding footsteps. Nanoha hurtled around the whole of the eighth floor, her roommates panting behind her, not stopping until they turned a corner into the last, deserted passage.

"Nanoha-San, _what_ was that all about?" said Subaru, wiping sweat off her face. "I couldn't hear anything…"

But Teana gave a sudden gasp, pointing down the hallway.

"_Look!_"

Something was scratched into the wall ahead. They approached slowly, squinting through the darkness. Foot-high words had been etched into the stone wall between two windows, casting evil shadows by the flickering light of the balls of light.

**THE TOMB OF SHADOWS HAS BEEN  
OPENED ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.**

"What's that thing – sitting underneath?" said Hayate, a slight quiver in her voice.

As they edged closer, Nanoha almost tripped – there were a large number of gashes and cuts on the floors and walls like a great battle had taken place. Fate and Teana quickly grabbed her, and they inched toward the message, eyes fixed on the dark shadow slumped beneath it. All fix of them realized what it was at once, and leapt backward with a fright. Captain Suì-Fēng was leaning against the wall, Suzumebachi on her finger, and her eyes white and her mouth open in a silent scream. Nanoha dared herself to look down once more and stare at the huge, gaping hole in the captain's chest

For a few seconds, they didn't move. Then Hayate said, "Let's get out of here."

"Shouldn't we try and help – " Nanoha began awkwardly.

"Trust me," said Hayate. "We don't want to be found here."

But it was too late. A rumble, as though of distant thunder, told them the feast had just ended. From either end of the hallway where they stood came the sound of hundreds of feet climbing the stairs, and the loud, happy talk of well-fed people; next moment, students were crashing into the passage way from both ends. That was rather strange since Material and Hades common rooms were nowhere near the stairs.

The chatter, the bustle, and the noise died suddenly as the people in front spotted the fallen captain. Nanoha, Fate, Hayate, Teana, and Subaru stood alone, in the middle of the hallway, as silence fell among the mass of students pressing forward to see the grisly sight. Then someone shouted through the quiet.

"Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, half-breed!"

It was Yuri Eberwein. She had pushed to the front of the crowd, her cold eyes alive, her usually bloodless face flushed, as she grinned at the sight of the wounded, possibly dead Captain Suì-Fēng."

* * *

**Yes, we finally reach the best part of the story: the Tomb of Shadows has been opened! I'll bet most people weren't exprecting Captain Suì-Fēng to be a half-blood considering she was in Material, let alone being the first victim of the unseen monster attack St. Hilde. Next chapter will reveal the fate of our captain and we finally get a glimpse into St. Hilde's origin. Stay tuned for more!**


	9. The Writing on the Wall

**Nanoha and the Tomb of Shadows**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

* * *

**Chapter Nine: The Writing on the Wall**

"What's going on here? What's going on?"

Attracted no doubt by Yuri's shout, Captain Hitsugaya, his head wrapped in bandages, came shouldering his way through the crowd with the other Gotei 13 captains. Then they saw Captain Suì-Fēng, many of them gasping in shock, others in stunned silence.

"Captain! Captain Suì-Fēng! What happened to Captain Suì-Fēng?" the captain of the Thirteenth Division shrieked, jumping to their fallen comrade.

Captain Zaraki's eyes fell on Nanoha, a dark scowl on his face.

"_You!_" he screeched, stabbing the wall next to Nanoha's head. "_You! _You had something to do with this, didn't you? You think it's funny to attack a captain? I am going to shove blade so far up your – "

"That's enough, Captain Zaraki!" Carim had arrived on the scene, followed by a number of other teachers. In seconds, she had swept past Nanoha, Fate, Hayate, Subaru, and Teana and stood over Captain Suì-Fēng's body. "Captain-Commander Kyōraku, Captain Ukitake, please bring Captain Suì-Fēng's with us." She turned on Nanoha and her friends. "I wish for you girls to come with us as well."

Tsukishima stepped forward eagerly.

"My office is closest, Headmistress – just downstairs – please feel free – "

"Thank you, Shūkurō," said Carim.

The silent crowd parted to let them pass. Tsukishima, looking excited and important, hurried after Carim and the captains; so did Linith-Sensei and Presea. As they entered Tsukishima's darkened office, Tsukishima lit the scented candles on his desk, which seemed rather inappropriate given the situation. Captain-Commander Kyōraku and Captain Ukitake laid Captain Suì-Fēng on the polished table and Carim began to examine her. Nanoha, Fate, Hayate, Subaru, and Teana exchanged tense looks and sank into the chairs outside the pool of candlelight, watching.

The tip of Carim's nose was barely an inch from Captain Suì-Fēng's skin. She was looking at her closely, her fingers gently tracing the perimeter of the massive hole in the captain's chest. Linith-Sensei was bent almost as close, her eyes narrowed. Presea loomed behind them, half in shadow, wearing a most peculiar expression: it was as though she was trying hard not to smile. And Tsukishima was hovering around them, making suggestions.

"It was definitely an energy burst that killed her – probably the Thunderflash Spell – I've seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very protection spells that would have saved her…"

Ignoring the rambling of Tsukishima, Captain-Commander Kyōraku and Captain Ukitake were standing like sentinels over their comrade, shooting accusing stares between the teachers and the girls. Nanoha tried to make herself as invisible as possible, which is very hard when you are wearing all white. She might not have liked Captain Suì-Fēng, but she never would have wished for this to happen – could Shinigami even die? What would happen if the Captain-Commander thought she was the killer? Could the Shinigami punish the living?

Carim was now muttering strange words under her breath and tapping Captain Suì-Fēng and random points around the hole but nothing happened: she continued to look like an empty shell of her former self.

"…I remember something very similar happened in Khondaq," said Tsukishima, "a series of attacks, the full story is in my autobiography, I was able to provide the townspeople with various amulets, which cleared the matter up at once…"

"Captain-Commander," said Carim, straightening up to face the man. "I am pleased to inform you that Captain Suì-Fēng is not dead."

Tsukishima stopped abruptly in the middle of counting the number of murders he had prevented.

"Not dead?" said Captain-Commander Kyōraku, shifting his gaze up and down the captain's form. "Then how do you explain the large hole in her chest and the apparent loss of brain functions. Those usually a sign that someone has been killed."

"But she is _not _dead – her soul has been fractured," said Carim ("Ah! I thought so!" said Tsukishima). "But how, I cannot say…"

"Then perhaps we should ask the ones who were found at the scene of the crime," suggested Captain Ukitake, turned his focus to Nanoha and her friends.

"No second year could have done this," said Carim firmly. "It would take Dark Magic of the most advanced – "

"We also thought the same about you and the Dark Queen," said Captain-Commander Kyōraku smoothly. "And yet I seem to remember a certain golden-haired mage using advanced spells by the time she was thirteen. We can't rule out the possibility that she would be equally as gifted. Captain Suì-Fēng also confided to us in secret about a certain letter that the girl in white has read recently – the one saying that our dear captain was half-blooded."

"I never _touched_ Captain Suì-Fēng!" Nanoha said loudly, uncomfortably aware of everyone looking at her. "Ok, I will admit that I might have looked at Captain Suì-Fēng's letter and I might know that she is half-blooded, but I don't see how that has to do with anything."

"There is a lot connected than you might think, Miss Takamachi," said Captain Ukitake.

"If I might speak, captain," said Presea from the shadows and Nanoha's sense of foreboding increased; she was sure nothing Presea had to say was going to do her any good. "Takamachi and her friends may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, we do have a set of suspicious circumstances here. Why was she in the upstairs corridor at all? Why wasn't she at the Hollow's Eve feast?"

Nanoha, Fate, Hayate, Subaru, and Teana all launched into an explanation about the captaincy party. "…there were hundreds of Shinigami, they will tell you we were there – "

"I can vouch for her there," said Captain Ukitake, raising a hand of assurance. "I distinctly remember Miss Lancaster helping me to my seat when I fell ill on the floor. They were there until Captain Zaraki's squadron arrived and crashed the party."

"But why not join the feast afterward?" said Presea, her dark eyes glittering in the candlelight. "I believe dessert was still taking place around that time. Why go to that corridor?"

The girls looked at Nanoha.

"Because – because – " Nanoha said, her heart thumping very fast; something told her it would sound very far-fetched if she told them she had been led there by a bodiless voice no one but she could hear, "because we were tired and wanted to go to bed," she said.

"Is that right?" said Presea with a nasty smile. "I suggest, Headmistress, that Takamachi is not being entirely truthful. It might be a good idea if she were deprived of certain privileges until she is ready to tell us the whole story. I personally feel she should be taken off the Kaiser Riot Force team until she is ready to be honest."

"Really, Presea," said Linith-Sensei sharply, "I see no reason to stop the girl from playing Riot Force. Captain Suì-Fēng wasn't hit over the head by a rogue Gadget. There is no evidence at all that Takamachi has done anything wrong."

Carim was giving Nanoha a searching look. Her twinkling light-blue eyes made Nanoha feel as though she were being x-rayed.

"Innocent until proven guilty, Presea," she said firmly.

Presea looked furious.

"Then what are we going to do about our little captain?" said Captain-Commander Kyōraku. "We can't just leave things as they are now. If her lieutenant is left in charge, things in the Second Division and the St. Hilde security will spiral into chaos."

"We will be able to cure her, Captain-Commander Kyōraku," said Carim patiently. "Hashirama-Sensei recently managed to procure some Mandrake, which are very useful in healing damaged souls. As soon as they have reached their full size, I will have an elixir made that will revive Captain Suì-Fēng."

"I'll make it," Tsukishima butted in. "I must have done it a hundred times. I could whip up a Mandrake Restorative Draught in my sleep – "

"Excuse me," said Presea icily. "But I believe I am the Head Researcher at this church."

There was a very awkward pause.

"You may go," Carim said to Nanoha and her friends.

They went, as quickly as they could without running. When they were a floor down from Tsukishima's office, they turned into an empty classroom and closed the door quietly behind them. Nanoha squinted at her friends' darkened faces.

"Do you think I should have told them about the voice I heard?

"**That would be unwise, Master,**" said Raising Heart, without hesitation. "**Hearing voices no one else can hear is not a good sign, even in the magical world. It is usually a sign of distress or madness – just look at the Joker or Deadpool.**"

"But you guys do believe I heard something, right?" Nanoha asked.

"We believe you heard something," said Fate quickly. "But you have to admit that it is a bit…strange…"

"I know it's weird," said Nanoha. "The whole thing is weird. What was that writing on the wall about? _The Tomb of Shadows has been opened_…what is that supposed to mean?"

"You know, it rings a bell somehow," said Hayate slowly. "I think someone told me a story about a secret tomb hidden in St. Hilde once…might have been Zafira…"

"**Might I make a suggestion, Sir?**" said Bardiche. "**If this 'Tomb of Shadows' is indeed the center of this crisis, then perhaps it would be prudent if we performed a little research on the subject. Raising Heart, Cross Mirage, Mach Caliber, and myself can cross-reference all known entries of the Tomb of Shadows in the information matrix. The Tomb of the Night Sky can assist your friends in filtering the information in the Infinity Library.**"

"Well, it's as good a plan as any," said Teana.

A clock chimed somewhere.

"Midnight," said Nanoha. "We'd better get to bed before Presea comes along and tries to frame us for something else."

* * *

For a few days, the school could talk of little else but the attack on Captain Suì-Fēng. The Shinigami kept it fresh in everyone's minds by pacing the spot where she had been attacked, as though they thought the attacker might come back. Nanoha had seen the Punisher trying to repair the damage to the walls with everything from plaster to quick-dry cement, but to no effect; the words were still etched into the wall like a scar. When Suì-Fēng blob of a lieutenant wasn't guarding the scene of the crime, he skulked red-eyed through the hallways, lunging out at unsuspecting students and trying to put them in detention for things like "breathing loudly" and "looking happy".

Vita Yagami seemed very disturbed by Captain Suì-Fēng fate.

"You didn't really know the captain very well," Hayate told her bracingly. "Honestly, we're much better off without her." Vita's lip trembled. "Stuff like this doesn't happen often at St. Hilde. They'll catch the maniac who did it and have him out of here in no time. I just hope he has enough time to crack Punisher's soul before he's expelled – not that he even has one. I'm only joking – " Hayate added hastily as Vita blanched.

The attack had also had an effect on Fate. It was quite usual for Fate to spend a lot of time reading, but she was now doing almost nothing else. Nor could Nanoha and the others get much of a response from her when they asked what she was up to, and not until the following Wednesday did they find out.

Nanoha had been held back in Scientific Research, where Presea had made her stay behind to scrape tubeworms off the desks. After a hurried lunch, she went up to meet Hayate in the Infinity Library, and saw Lisanna Strauss, the Hades girl from Environmental Studies, coming toward her. Nanoha had just opened her mouth to say hello when Lisanna caught sight of her, turned abruptly, and sped off in the opposite direction.

Nanoha found Hayate in the lower floors of the library, measuring her History of Magic homework while simultaneously processing information through the Tomb of the Night Sky. Sasakibe-Sensei had asked for a three-foot-long composition on "The Medieval Assembly of Belkan Mages."

"I don't believe it, I'm still eight inches short…" said Hayate furiously, letting go of her paper, which sprang back into a roll. "And Fate's done four feet seven inches and her handwriting is _tiny_."

"Where is she?" said Nanoha, grabbing the tape measurer and unrolling her own homework.

"Somewhere over there," said Hayate, pointing along the shelves. "Looking for another book. I think she's trying to read the whole library before Saint King's Day." Nanoha told Hayate about Lisanna Strauss running away from her. "Don't know why you care. I thought she was a bit of an idiot. All that junk about Tsukishima being great."

"Please don't say that name," Nanoha groaned, still remembering her detention with that creep.

Fate emerged from between the bookshelves. She looked irritable and at last seemed ready to talk to them.

"_All _the copies of _History of St. Hilde _have been taken out," she said, sitting down next to Nanoha and Hayate. "And there's a two-week waiting list. I _wish _I hadn't left my copy at home, but I couldn't fit it in my bags with all the Tsukishima books."

"Why do you want it?" said Nanoha.

"The same reason everyone else wants it," said Fate, "to read up on the legend of the Tomb of Shadows."

"What's that?" said Nanoha quickly.

"That's just it. I can't remember," said Fate, biting her lip. "And I can't find the story anywhere else – Bardiche even scanned the entire information matrix for something remotely close to the Tomb of Shadows, but came up with nothing. Has Raising Heart found anything?"

"**Unfortunately, my search engine only found irrelevant articles,**" said Raising Heart. "**Although, during my search, I came across a blog owned by someone named Longarch, who posted a lot of pictures of my master in various costumes – a few of them were very racy.**"

"Hayate-Chan!" Nanoha screamed, jumping out of her seat, hers and Fate's faces flush with embarrassment. "You said those were for your private collection!"

"I have no idea what you could possibly mean," said Hayate innocently, not looking her friend in the eye.

"**Shall I bookmark that page, Sir,**" Bardiche asked quietly.

"Yes, please," said Fate in a low voice so Nanoha couldn't hear.

Luckily, the bell rang and Hayate made her exit to History of Magic.

History of Magic was easily the dullest subject on their schedule. Sasakibe-Sensei, who taught it, was the only Shinigami teacher, and the most exciting thing that ever happened in his class was his entering the room through the blackboard. Ancient and shriveled, many people said he hadn't noticed he was dead. He had simply got up to teach one day and left his body behind him in an armchair in front of the teacher's lounge fireplace; his routine had not varied in the slightest since.

Today was as boring as ever. Sasakibe-Sensei opened his notes and began to read in a flat drone like an old vacuum cleaner until nearly everyone in the class was in a deep stupor, occasionally coming to long enough to copy down a name or date, then falling asleep again. He had been speaking for half an hour when something happened that had never happened before. Teana put her hand up. Sasakibe-Sensei, glancing in the middle of a deadly dull lecture on the Interdimensional Mage Convention of X784, looked amazed.

"Miss – er – "

"Lancaster, Sensei. I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the Tomb of Shadows," said Teana in a clear voice.

Rex Salazar, who had been sitting with his mouth hanging open, gazing out the window, jerked out of his trance; Ben Tennyson's head came up off his arms and Subaru's elbow slipped off her desk. Sasakibe-Sensei blinked.

"My subject is History of Magic," he said in his dry, wheezy voice. "I deal with _facts_, Miss Lancaster, not myths and legends." He cleared his throat with a small noise like chalk snapping and continued, "In September of that year, a subcommittee of Sonorosian sorcerers – " He stuttered to a halt. Teana's hand was waving in the air again. "Miss Lemon?"

"Please, Sensei, don't legends always have a basis in fact?"

Sasakibe-Sensei was looking at her in such amazement, Nanoha was sure no student had ever interrupted him before, alive or dead.

"Well," said Sasakibe-Sensei slowly, "yes, one could argue that, I suppose." He peered at Teana as though he had never seen a student properly before. "However, the legend of which you speak is such a very _sensational, _even _ludicrous_ tale – "

But the whole class was now hanging on Sasakibe-Sensei's every word. He looked dimly at them all, every face turned to his. Nanoha could tell he was completely thrown by such an unusual show of interest.

"Oh, very well," he said slowly. "Let me see…the Tomb of Shadows…

"You all know, of course, that St. Hilde was once the site of the original Saint Church thousands of years ago before it was founded – the precise date is uncertain – after the conclusion of the Saint King Unification War. The four school houses were named in honor of the four founders: Olivie Sägebrecht of Kaiser, Claus G. S. Ingvalt of Hegemon, Ixpellia Flame of Hades, and Nachtwal of Material. They reconstructed the church together, far from the prying eye of Machlos, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and mages suffered much persecution.

"For years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out young people who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the church to be educated. But then a disagreement sprang up between them. A rift grew between Nachtwal and Olivie. Nachtwal wished to be more _selective _about the students admitted to St. Hilde. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of Machlos parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Nachtwal and Olivie, and Nachtwal was banished from the church.

"Reliable historical sources tell us this much. But these honest facts have been obscured by the fanciful legend of the Tomb of Shadows. The story goes that Nachtwal had built a hidden tomb in the church, of which the other founders knew nothing.

"Nachtwal, according to legend, seal the Tomb of Shadows so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Tomb of Shadows, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the church of all who were unworthy to study magic."

There was silence as he finished telling the story, but it wasn't the usual, sleepy silence that filled Sasakibe-Sensei's classes. There was unease in the air as everyone continued to watch him, hoping for more. Sasakibe-Sensei looked faintly annoyed.

"The whole thing is arrant nonsense," he said. "Naturally, the church has been searched for such evidence of such a tomb, many times, by the most learned mages. It does not exist. A tale told to frighten the gullible."

This time, it was Fate's hand that was in the air.

"Sensei – what exactly do you mean by the 'horror within' the Tomb?"

"That is believed to be some sort of army of Dark Demons, which the Heir of Nachtwal alone can control," said Sasakibe-Sensei in his dry, reedy voice." The class exchanged nervous looks. "I tell you, the thing does not exist. There is no Tomb and no dark army."

"But, sir," said Ben Tennyson, "if the Tomb can only be opened by Nachtwal's true heir, no one else _would_ be able to find it, would they?"

"Nonsense, Tannenbaum," said Sasakibe-Sensei in an aggravated tone. "If a long succession of St. Hilde headmasters and headmistresses haven't found the thing – "

"But, sir," piped up Axel Lea, "you would probably have to use Dark Magic to open it – "

"Just because a mage _doesn't _use Dark Magic doesn't mean he _can't, _Mr. Marmalade," snapped Sasakibe-Sensei.

"**That was way off base even for him,**" said Raising Heart.

"But maybe you've got to be related to Nachtwal, so Carim couldn't – " began Rex Salazar, but Sasakibe-Sensei had enough.

"That will do," he said sharply. "It is a myth! It does not exist! There is not a shred of evidence that Nachtwal even built as much as a secret bathroom! I regret telling you such a foolish story! We will return, if you please, to _history_, to solid, believable, verifiable _fact!_"

And within five minutes, the class had sunk back to its usual torpor.

* * *

I always knew Nachtwal was a twisted old loony," Hayate told Nanoha and Fate as they fought their way through the teeming hallways at the end of the lesson to drop off their bags before dinner. "But I never knew he started all this pure-blood stuff. I wouldn't be in his house if you paid me. Honestly, if Cosmos had tried to put me in Material, I would have taken the _Arthra _straight back home…"

Fate nodded fervently, quickly looking around to see if her mother was lurking around the corner, but Nanoha didn't say anything. Her stomach had just dropped unpleasantly. Nanoha had never told Fate or Hayate that the goddess seriously considered putting _her _in Material. She could remember, as though it were yesterday, the small voice that spoke in her head when she had kneeled in front of Cosmos a year before: _You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Material will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that…_

But Nanoha, who had already heard of Material House's reputation for turning out Dark mages, had thought desperately, _Not Material_! And the goddess had said, _Oh, well, if you're sure…better be Kaiser…_

As they shunted along in the throng, Sakura Haruno went past.

"Hiya, Nanoha!"

"Hello, Sakura," said Nanoha automatically.

"Nanoha – Nanoha – a boy in my class has been saying you're – "

But Sakura was so small she couldn't fight against the tide of people bearing her toward the Great Hall; they heard her squeak, "See you, Nanoha!" and she was gone.

"What's a boy in her class saying about you?" Fate wondered.

"That I'm Nachtwal's heir, I bet," said Nanoha, her stomach dropping another inch or so as she suddenly remembered the way Lisanna Strauss had run away from her at lunchtime.

"People here will believe anything," said Hayate in disgust. The crowd thinned and they were able to climb the next staircase without difficulty. "Do you _really _think there is a Tomb of Shadows?"

"I don't know," said Fate, frowning. "Carim-Sama couldn't cure Captain Suì-Fēng, and that makes me think that whatever attacked her might not be – well – human."

As she spoke, they turned a corner and found themselves at the very hallway where the attack had happened. They stopped and looked. The scene was just as it had been that night, except that there no body of the Second Division captain slumped against the wall, and an empty couple of chairs stood against the wall bearing the message "The Tomb of Shadows had been Opened."

"That's where the Shinigami have been keeping guard," Hayate muttered.

They looked at each other. The hallway was deserted.

"Can't hurt to poke around," said Nanoha, dropping her bag and getting to her hands and knees so that she could crawl along, searching for clues. "This whole floor has been ripped apart. Captain Suì-Fēng must have put up a good fight."

"Come and look at this!" said Hayate. "This is weird…"

Nanoha got up and crossed to the window next to the message on the wall. Hayate was pointing at the topmost pane, where around twenty red and blue spider-like creatures were scuttling, apparently fighting to get through a small crack. A long, silvery thread was dangling like a rope, as though they had all climbed it in their hurry to get outside.

"I think they're a species called Araña," said Hayate curiously. "Have you ever seen spiders act like that?"

"Never," said Nanoha, "have you, Fate-Chan? Fate-Chan?" She looked over her shoulder. Fate was huddled in the corner and seemed to be fighting the impulse to run. "What's up?"

"I – don't – like – spiders," said Fate tensely.

"I never knew that," said Hayate, looking at Fate in surprise. "You've used spiders all the time in Scientific Research…"

"I don't mind them dead," said Fate, who seemed on the verge of tears, sniffing and wiping her eyes in a cute fashion. "I just don't like the way they move…well, it's just been something I've been dealing with for a long time. When I was three, Alicia replaced my – my teddy bear with big, hairy tarantula that mother kept in her lab for experiments all because I broke her favorite toy Device. When I woke up one morning, it was crawling all over me and – and – "

She wiped her teary eyes cutely again. _Kawaii_, thought Nanoha and Hayate together. Feeling they had better get off the subject, Nanoha noticed a door off to the side of the hallway, just a few feet from the writing on the wall. Perhaps there were some clues hidden around here, it was worth a shot. Nanoha walked over and reached for the brass doorknob, but was suddenly stopped by Fate, who seemed to have recovered from her little scare.

"We can't go in there," said Fate. "Do you know what this is? This is the door to the Midnight Tower – this is Secret's place. no one is allowed inside."

"But if this is Secret's regular haunting ground then maybe she knows something," said Hayate thoughtfully.

And ignoring the large OUT OF BOUNDS sign, she opened the door. It was the gloomiest, most depressing place in the entire church in Nanoha's opinion. What once might have been a beautiful and lavishing chamber was now a dark and hollow prison. The floor was damp and cold, the bricks of the walls were cracked like spider web patterns, tapestries were shredded at the seams, and a large, cracked, and spotted mirror was thrown haphazardly in the corner. A broken spiral of stone steps led to the shattered stain glass windows, where flocks of ravens were nesting on the sill.

Fate sighed, put her finger to her lips, and set off toward the center of the room. She looked up to the empty windows and said, "Hello, Secret, how are you?"

Nanoha and Hayate went to look. Secret, masked by her white hood, was floating on the ledge of one of the more complete stain glasses, petting one of the dark birds that congregated around her like it was a puppy.

"What are you doing here?" she said, eyeing the group of girls suspiciously. "Come to mock me again?"

"No," said Fate softly. "I just wanted to show them how – er – nice it is in here."

"Ask her if she saw anything," Nanoha mouthed to Fate.

"What are you whispering?" said Secret, staring at her.

"Nothing," said Nanoha quickly. "We wanted to ask – "

"I wish people would stop talking behind my back!" said Secret, in a voice full of spite. "I _do _have feelings, you know, even if I _am_ dead – "

"Secret, no one wants to upset you," said Fate. "Nanoha only – "

"No one wants to upset me! That's a good one!" howled Secret. "My life was nothing but misery at this place and now people come along ruining my death!"

"We wanted to ask you if you've seen anything strange lately," said Fate quickly. "Because one of the Shinigami captains was attacked right outside your front door on Hollow's Eve."

"Did you see anyone near here that night?" said Nanoha.

"I wasn't paying attention," said Secret, darkly. "I was so angry at Loki that I tried to kill him with Aquaman's trident that I got from the trophy room. He overpowered me, stole the trident, and tried to kill me. Then, of course, he forgot that I am – I am – "

"Already dead," said Hayate helpfully.

Now Nanoha really wished that Hayate had shut her big mouth for once. Secret gave a furious scream, flapped her arms in the air, scattered the ravens, and silently commanded the black birds to attack the intruders. Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate threw their arms up to defend themselves and made a blind dash for the door. Nanoha grappled with the handle through the shower of feathers, threw it open, and dived into the hallway. Hayate was the last to leave the tower, slamming the door shut behind her; the ravens were still pecking their way through the wood.

"Honestly…that was the happiest I've ever seen Secret," panted Fate.

"**Next time, Sir, may I suggest a better approach to the situation,**" said Bardiche. "**Perhaps offer her a sacrifice – we could give her the flat chested, cosplay-loving pervert.**"

"Hey, I'll have you know, I'm an E-Cup…according to my blog," Hayate mumbled the last part.

"That's the part that bothers you?" said Nanoha strangely.

"HAYATE!"

The three of them jumped. Signum Yagami had stopped dead at the head of the stairs, Knight badge agleam, an expression of complete shock on her face.

"That's the Midnight Tower! She gasped. "What are _you –_ "

"Just having a look around," Hayate shrugged. "Clues, you know – "

Signum swelled in a manner that reminded Nanoha forcefully of Shamal.

"Get – away – from – there – " Signum said, striding toward them and starting to bustle them along, flapping her arms. "Don't you _care_ what this looks like? Coming back while everyone is at dinner – "

"Why shouldn't we be here?" said Hayate hotly, stopping short and glaring at Signum. "Listen, we never laid a finger of Captain Suì-Fēng!"

"That's what I told Vita," said Signum fiercely, "but she still seems to think you're going to be expelled. I've never seen her so upset, crying her eyes out, you might think of _her, _all the first are thoroughly overexcited by this business – "

"_You _don't care about Vita," said Hayate, whose ears were now reddening. "_You're _just worried I'm going to mess up your chances of being Lady Saint – "

"Five points from Kaiser!" Signum said tersely, fingering her Knight badge. "And I hope it teaches you a lesson! No more _detective work_, or I'll write to Shamal! Or worse, Batman!"

And she strode off, the back of her neck as red as Hayate's ears.

* * *

Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate chose seats as far as possible from Signum in the common room that night. Hayate was still in a very bad temper and kept blotting her Mana homework. When she reached absently for the white-out to remove the smudges, she spilled her soda all over the paper. Fuming, Hayate slammed _The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 2)_ shut. To Nanoha's surprise, Fate followed suit.

"Who can it be, though?" she said in a quiet voice, as though continuing a conversation they had been having. "Who would _want_ to frighten all the half-bloods out of St. Hilde?"

"Let's think," said Hayate in mock puzzlement. "Who do we know who thinks all half-bloods are scum?"

"If you're talking about Yuri – "

"Of course I am!" said Hayate. "You heard her – '_You'll be next, half-breeds!'_ – come on, you've only got to look at her ugly mug to know it's her – "

"Yuri, the Heir of Nachtwal?" said Fate skeptically.

"Look at her family," said Nanoha, closing her books, too. "Every single one of them has been in Material; she's always bragging about it. They could easily be Nachtwal's descendants. Her mother is definitely evil enough."

"They could have been had the key to the Tomb of Shadows for centuries!" said Hayate. "Handing it down, parent to child…"

"That's the same as saying I'm the Heir of Nachtwal," said Fate, reminding them of the Testarossa legacies. "But you may have a point…"

"But how do we prove it?" said Nanoha darkly.

"There might be a way," said Fate slowly, dropping her voice still further with a quick glance across the room at Signum. "Of course, it would be difficult. And dangerous, very dangerous. We would be breaking about fifty school rules, I think – "

"If, in a month or so, you feel like explaining, you will let us know, won't you?" said Hayate irritably.

"All right," said Fate coldly. "What we would need to do is to get inside the Material common room and ask Yuri a few questions without her realizing it's us."

"But that's impossibly," Nanoha said as Hayate laughed.

"No, it's not," said Fate. "All we would need would be is a Polymorph Compound."

"What's that?" said Hayate and Nanoha together.

"Mother mentioned it in class a few weeks ago – "

"Do you think we've got nothing better to do in Scientific Research than listen to Presea?" muttered Hayate.

"It transforms you into someone else. Think about it! We could change into three of the Materials. No one would know it was us. Yuri would probably tell us anything. She's probably bragging about it in the Material common room right now, if only we could hear her."

"This Polymorph stuff sounds a bit risky to me," said Hayate, frowning. "What if we were stuck looking like three of the Materials forever?"

"It wears off after a while," said Fate, waving her hand impatiently. "But getting hold of the recipe will be very difficult. Mother told me in secret that it was in a book called _Crafty Chemical Creations_ and it's bound to be in the Restricted Section of the Infinity Library."

There was only one way to get out a book from the Restricted Section: you needed a signed note of permission from a teacher. Nanoha had taken a midnight journey into the Restricted Section last year and had no intention of going back.

"Hard to see why we would want the book, really," said Hayate, "if we weren't going to try and make one of those mixtures."

"I think," said Fate, "that if we made it sound as though we were just interest in the theory, we might stand a chance."

"Oh come on, no teacher's going to fall for that," said Hayate. "They would have to be really stupid…"

It took less than a minute before a light bulb went off in their heads.

* * *

**We have reached the halfway mark of the Tomb of Shadows and the mystery become even more mysterious. What is the horror within the Tomb of Shadows and does it really exist in the walls of St. Hilde? Maybe, maybe not. In the next chapter, Nanoha returns to the Riot Force field to face off against her arch-rival and an unexpected visit from an old acquaintance.**


	10. The Rogue Gadget

**Nanoha and the Tomb of Shadows**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

* * *

**Chapter Ten: The Rogue Gadget**

Since the disastrous episode with the Kokiri fairies, Tsukishima-Sensei had not brought live creatures to class. Instead, he read passages from his book to them, and sometime reenacted some of the more dramatic scenes. He usually picked Nanoha to help him with these reconstructions; so fat, Nanoha had been forced to play a simple Moroi villager whom Tsukishima had cured of a Babbling Curse, a Yokai with a head cold, and a vampire who had been unable to eat anything except lettuce since Tsukishima had dealt with him.

Nanoha was hauled to the front of the class during their very next Tactical Combat Instruction, this time acting as a Wyvern. If she hadn't had a good reason for keeping Tsukishima in a good mood, she would have kicked him in the _huevos_.

"Nice loud roar, Nanoha – exactly – and then, if you will believe it, I pounced – like this – _slammed _it to the floor – thus – with one hand, I managed to hold it down – with my other, I put my fist down its throat – I then screwed up my remaining strength and performed the immensely complex counter spell – it let out a piteous moan – go on, Nanoha – higher than that – good – the wings vanished – the fangs shrank – and it turned into a salamander. Simple, yet effective – and another village will be remembering me forever as the hero who delivered them from the terror of Wyvern attacks."

The bell rang and Tsukishima got to his feet.

"Homework – compose a poem about my defeat of the Whitechapel Wyvern! Signed copies of _Fullbring_ to the author of the best one!"

The class began to leave. Nanoha returned to the back of the room, where Hayate and Fate were waiting with Subaru and Teana, who had been informed of their plan and agreed to help.

"Ready?" Nanoha muttered.

"Wait until everyone is gone," said Teana nervously. "All right..." she approached Tsukishima's desk, a piece of paper clutched tightly in her hand, Nanoha and her friends right behind her. "Er – Tsukishima-Sensei? I wanted to – to get this book out of the library. Just for background reading." She held out the piece of paper, her hand shaking slightly. "But the thing is, it's in the Restricted Section of the library, so I need a teacher to sign for it – I'm sure it would help me understand what you say in _Gunning for Griffins_ about slow-acting venoms – "

"Ah, _Gunning for Griffins_!" said Tsukishima, taking the note from Teana and smiling widely at her. "Possibly my very favorite book. You enjoyed it?"

"Oh, yes," said Teana eagerly. "So clever, the way you trapped the last one with nothing but toothpaste and fishing line – "

"Well, I'm sure no one will mind me giving the best student of the year a little extra help," said Tsukishima, unaware of Fate glaring daggers at him. He pulled back an enormous, old-fashioned peacock quill – Nanoha didn't think people still used quills. "Yes, nice isn't it?" he said, misreading the revolting look on Hayate's face. "I usually save it for book-signings."

He scrawled an enormous loopy signature on the note and handed it back to Teana.

"So, Nanoha," said Tsukishima, while Teana folded the note with fumbling fingers and slipped it into her bag. "Tomorrow's the first Riot Force match of the season, I believe. Kaiser against Material, is it not? I hear you're a useful player. I was an Ace, too. I was asked to play for the National Squad, but preferred to dedicate my life to the eradication of the Dark Forces. Still, if ever you feel the need for a little private training, don't hesitate to ask. Always happy to pass on my expertise to the less able players…"

"**When we want to learn how to be thirty year-old, greasy haired, pedophile stalkers, we'll give you a call,**" said Raising Heart rudely.

Tsukishima looked like he had been slapped in the face, running a hand through his hair – Nanoha had never felt so proud of her Device. She then hurried after Fate, Hayate, Teana, and Subaru in the hallway.

"I don't believe it," Subaru said as the five of them examined the signature on the note. "He didn't even _look _at the book we wanted."

"That's because he's a brainless pervert," said Hayate.

"**Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black, Sir?**" said Bardiche.

"Hey, I'm not brainless!" snapped Hayate.

"Again, you don't mind the pervert part?" said Nanoha.

"He is _not_ a brainless pervert," said Teana shrilly as they half ran toward the Infinity Library.

"Just because he said you were the best student of the year – " Fate muttered darkly; Teana shivered.

They dropped their voices as they entered the muffled stillness of the Infinity Library. Yuuno Scrya, the librarian, with a kind yet awkward man who liked like a pampered ferret.

"_Crafty Chemical Creations?_" he repeated suspiciously, trying to take the note from Teana; but Teana wouldn't let go.

"I was wondering if I could keep it," she said breathlessly.

"Oh, come one," said Subaru, wrenching it from her best friend's grasp and thrusting it at Yuuno. "We'll get you another autograph. Tsukishima will sign anything if it stands still long enough."

Subaru really earned Nanoha's respect by badmouthing their pervert of a teacher, but couldn't help noticing a hint of something different in her voice. Was that jealousy? Yuuno held the note up to the light, as though determined to detect forgery, but it passed the test. He stalked away between the lofty shelves and returned several minutes later carrying a large and moldy-looking book. Fate carefully put it into her bag and they left, trying not to walk too quickly or look too guilty.

Five minutes later, they were barricaded in the Midnight Tower once again. Hayate had overridden Fate's objections by pointing out that it was the last place anyone in their right minds would go, so they were guaranteed some privacy. Secret was absently staring out the broken window, choosing to ignore them, and them her. Fate opened _Crafty Chemical Creations _and the five of them bent over the damp-spotted pages. It was clear from a glance why it belonged in the Restricted Section. Some of the mixtures had effects almost too gruesome to think about, and there were some very unpleasant illustrations, which included a man who seemed to have been turned inside out and a woman sprouting several extra pairs of arms out of her head.

"Here it is," said Fate excitedly as she could the page headed _The Polymorph Compound_. It was decorated with drawings of people halfway through transforming into other people. Nanoha sincerely hoped the artist had imagined the looks of intense pain on their faces.

"This is the most complicated formula I've ever seen," said Fate as they scanned the recipe. "Magnesium oxide, Tridymite, Glycine, and Aluminium hydroxide," she murmured, running her finger down the list if ingredients. "Well, they are easy enough; they're in the student store-cupboard, we can help ourselves…oooh, look, Carbamazepine – don't know where we're going to get that - Chloroamphenicol – that'll be tricky, too – and of course a bit of whoever we want to change into.

"Excuse me?" said Hayate sharply. "What do you mean, a bit of whoever we're changing into? I'm drinking _nothing_ with Amitie's toenail in it – "

"We don't have to worry about that yet, though, because we add those bits last…" Fate continued as though she hadn't heard her.

"Do you realize how much we're going to have to steal, Fate-Chan?" said Nanoha. "Chloroamphenicol, that's definitely not in the students' cupboard. What're we going to do, break into Presea's private laboratory? I don't know if this is a good idea…"

"Look, I don't want to break the rules as much as you do – you two are already in trouble with the Batmobile incident," said Fate. There were bright pink patches on her cheeks and her eyes were bright than usual. "But after what happened to Captain Suì-Fēng, we can't run the risk of letting Yuri run free with her army of monsters attacking half-bloods if there is a chance that she is the Heir of Nachtwal. But if you don't feel up to taking that chance, I'll go straight to Yuuno-San now and hand the book back in – "

"I never thought I'd see the day when you'd be persuading us to break the rules," said Hayate. "All right, we'll do it. but no toenails, okay?"

"How long will it take to make, anyway?" said Subaru.

"Well, since Magnesium oxide needs to be solidified and liquefied repeatedly to remove any impurities and Tridymite have to be stewed for twenty-one days…I'd say it would be ready in about a month, if we get all the ingredients."

"A month?" said Teana. "Yuri could have attacked half the half-bloods in the church by then!" But Fate's eyes narrowed dangerously again; she was still angry about losing the title of best student. "But I suppose it's the best plan we've got, so full steam ahead, I say."

However, while Fate was checking that the coast was clear for them leave the tower, Teana muttered to Nanoha, "It'll be a lot less hassle if you can just knock Yuri out of the air tomorrow."

* * *

Nanoha woke early on Saturday morning and lay for a while thinking about the coming Riot Force match. She was nervous, mainly at the thought of what Terra would say if Kaiser lost, but also at the idea of facing a team armed with the best Intelligent Device upgrades money could buy. She had never wanted to beat Material so badly. After an hour of lying there with her insides churning, she got up, dressed, and went down to breakfast early, where she found the rest of the Kaiser team huddled at the long, empty table, all looking uptight and not speaking much.

As eleven o'clock approached, the whole school started to make its way down to the Riot Force stadium. It was a muggy sort of day with a hint of thunder in the air. Hayate, Fate, Teana, and Subaru came hurrying over to wish Nanoha good luck as she entered the locker rooms. The team pulled on their pure-white Kaiser uniforms, then sat down to listen to Terra's usual pre-match pep talk.

"Material has better gear than us," he began. "No point denying it. But we've got better _people_ on our team. We've trained harder than they have, we've been flying in all weathers – " ("Too true," muttered Rein Yagami. "I haven't been properly dry since March") " – and we're going to make them rue the day they let that little slime, Yuri, buy her way onto their team." Chest heaving with emotion, he turned to Nanoha. "It'll be down to you, Nanoha, to show them an Ace has to have something more than a rich mother. Get the Jewel Seed before Yuri or die trying, Nanoha, because we've got to win today, we've got to."

"**Sure, no pressure or anything**," said Raising Heart sarcastically.

As they walked out onto the field, a roar of noise greeted them; mainly cheers, because Hades and Hegemon were anxious to see Material beaten, but the Materials in the crowd made their boos and hisses heard, too. Corrado-Sensei, the flight instructor, asked Terra and Saïx to shake hands, which they did, giving each other threatening stares and gripped rather harder than was necessary.

"On my whistle," said Corrado-Sensei. "Three…two…one…"

With a roar from the crowd to speed them upwards, the fourteen players rose toward the leaden sky. Nanoha flew higher than any of them, squinting around for the Jewel Seed.

"All right there, Scargirl?" yelled Yuri, shooting underneath her as though to show off the speed of her Device.

Nanoha had no time to reply. At that very moment, a heavy silver Gadget came pelting toward her; she avoided it so narrowly that she felt it ruffle her pigtails as it passed by.

"Close one, Nanoha!" said Rein, streaking past her after the Gadget, ready to knock it back toward a Material.

Nanoha saw Rein give the Gadget a powerful spiral kick in the direction of Xaldin Lindworm, but the Gadget changed direction in midair and shot straight for Nanoha again. Nanoha dropped quickly to avoid it, and Rein managed to hit it hard toward Yuri. Once again, the Gadget swerved like a boomerang and shot at Nanoha's head. Nanoha put on a burst of speed and zoomed toward the other end of the field. She could hear the Gadget whistling along behind her. What was going on? Gadgets never concentrated on one player like this; it was their job to try and knock out as many people as possible…

Agito Yagami was waiting for the Gadget at the other end. Nanoha ducked as Agito swung at the Gadget with a crackling right hook; the Gadget was knocked off course.

"Gotcha!" Agito yelled happily, but she was wrong; as though it was magnetically attracted to Nanoha, the Gadget pelted after her once more and Nanoha was forced to fly off at full speed.

It started to rain; Nanoha felt heavy drops fall onto her face. She didn't have a clue what was going on in the rest of the game until she heard Anko Mitarashi, who was commentating, say, "Material lead, sixty points to zero – "

The Materials' superior Devices were clearly doing their jobs, and meanwhile the mad Gadget was doing all it could to knock Nanoha out of the air. Agito and Rein were now flying so close to her on either side that Nanoha could see nothing at all except their flailing limbs and had no chance to look for the Jewel Seed, let alone catch it.

"Someone's – tampered – with – this – Gadget – " Agito grunted, swinging her arm with all her might at it as it launched a new attack on Nanoha.

"We need a time out," said Rein, trying to signal Terra and stop the Gadget breaking Nanoha's nose at the same time.

Terra had obviously got the message. Corrado-Sensei's whistle rang out and Nanoha, Agito, and Rein dived for the ground, still trying to avoid the mad Gadget.

"What's going on?" said Terra as the Kaiser team huddled together, while Materials in the crowd jeered. "We're being flattened. Agito, Rein, where were you when that Gadget stopped Riku from scoring?"

"We were twenty feet above him, stopping the other Gadget from murdering Nanoha, Terra," said Rein angrily. "Someone's fixed it – it won't leave Nanoha alone. It hasn't gone for anyone else all game. The Materials must have done something to it."

"But the Gadgets have been locked in Corrado-Sensei's office since our last practice, and there was nothing wrong with them then…" said Terra, anxiously.

Corrado-Sensei was walking toward them. Over her shoulder, Nanoha could see the Material team jeering and point in her direction.

"Listen," said Nanoha as she came closer and closer, "with you two flying around me all the time the only way I'm going to catch the Jewel Seed is if it flies up my sleeve. Go back to the rest of the team and let me deal with the rogue one."

"Don't be stupid," said Agito. "It'll take your head off."

Terra was looking from Nanoha to the Yagamis.

"Terra, this is insane," said Sora Kingdom angrily. "You can't let Nanoha deal with this thing on her own. Let's ask for an inquiry – "

"If we stop now, we'll have to forfeit the match!" said Nanoha. "And we're not losing to Material just because of a crazy Gadget! Come on, Terra, tell them to leave me alone!"

"This is your fault," Rein said angrily to Terra. "Get the Jewel Seed or die trying, what a stupid thing to tell her – "

Corrado-Sensei had joined them.

"Ready to resume play?" she asked Terra.

Terra looked at the determined look on Nanoha's face.

"All right," he said. "Agito, Rein, you heard Nanoha – leave her alone and let her deal with the Gadget on her own."

The rain was falling more heavily now. On Corrado-Sensei's whistle, Nanoha kicked hard into the air and heard the telltale whoosh of the Gadget behind her. Higher and higher Nanoha climbed; she looped and swooped, spiraled, zigzagged, and rolled. Slightly dizzy, she nevertheless kept her eyes wide open, rain was ran up her nostrils as she hung upside down, avoiding another fierce dive from the Gadget. She could hear laughter from the crowd; she knew she must look very stupid, but the rogue Gadget was heavy and couldn't change direction as quickly as Nanoha could; she began a kind of rollercoaster ride around the edges of the stadium, squinting through the silver sheets of rain to the Kaiser goal post, where Xaldin Lindworm was trying to get past Terra –

A whistle in Nanoha's ears told her the Gadget had just missed her again; she turned right over and sped in the opposite direction.

"Training for the ballet, Takamachi?" yelled Yuri as Nanoha was forced to do a stupid kind of twirl in midair to dodge the Gadget, and she fled, the Gadget trailing a few feet behind her; and then, glaring back at Yuri in hatred, she saw it – _the Jewel Seed._ It was hovering inches above Yuri's left ear – and Yuri, busy laughing at Nanoha, hadn't seen it. For an antagonizing minute, Nanoha hung in midair, not daring to peed toward Yuri in case she looked up and saw the Jewel Seed.

**WHAM!**

She had stayed still a second too long. The Gadget had hit her at last, but instead of discharging magic, smashed into her elbow like a cannon ball, and Nanoha felt her arm break. Dimly, dazed by the searing pain in her arm, she unconsciously released the Axel Fin spell and began spiraling uncontrollably back to the ground – the Gadget came pelting after her for a second attack, this time aiming for her face. Nanoha, barely managing to keep herself conscious, narrowly swerve out of the way, one idea firmly lodge in her numb brain: _get the Jewel Seed._"

"Raising Heart – " Nanoha moaned weakly, slowly aiming the Device at Yuri. "We've got one shot – make it count – "

"**Shooting Mode!**" said Raising Heart, transforming her scepter-like appearance into a two-pronged cannon – two sakura-pink wings sprouted from the shaft. "**Accessing alternative Mana reserves! Manual lock-on sequence engaged! Fire when ready, Master!**"

"**DIVINE BUSTER!**" Nanoha screamed with the last of her strength.

For those who were familiar with Nanoha's signature technique, none were surprised when the little girl unleashed a massive stream of pink Mana from Raising Heart's time, the blast twice as big as Nanoha's body. Yuri, petrified to be on the receiving end of Nanoha's Divine Buster, was thrown out of the way by the shockwave, tumbled into the Material stands, and found herself face first in a fifth years' plate of nachos – Yuri screamed at the hot cheese burning her skin.

Back in the air, the Jewel Seed made a daring effort to escape capture, but was quickly overwhelmed by the intensity of the Divine Buster. When the smoke cleared, the Jewel Seed was locked in a cage of pink energy, unable to move. And with a splattering thud, Nanoha hit the mud. Her arm was hanging at a very strange angle; riddled with pain, she heard, as though from a distance, a good deal of whistling and shouting. She focused on the pink cage in the middle of the sky.

"Aha," she said vaguely. "We've won."

And she fainted. She came around, rain falling, still lying on the field, with someone leaning over her. He saw a mess of dark hair.

"Oh, no, not you," she moaned.

"Doesn't know what she's saying," said Tsukishima loudly to the anxious crowd of Kaisers pressing around them. "Not to worry, Nanoha. I'm about to fix your arm."

"_No!_" said Nanoha. "I'll keep it like this, thanks…" She tried to sit up, but the pain was terrible. She heard a familiar clicking noise nearby. "I don't want a photo of this, Sakura!"

"Lie back, Nanoha," said Tsukishima soothingly. "It's a simple spell I've used countless times – "

"Why can't I just go to the hospital wing?" said Nanoha through clenched teeth.

"She really should, Sensei," said a muddy Terra, who couldn't help grinning even though his Ace was injured. "Great capture, Nanoha, really spectacular, your best yet, I'd say – "

Through the thicket of legs around her, Nanoha spotted Agito and Rein Yagami, wrestling the rogue Gadget into the box. It was still putting up a terrific fight.

"Stand back," said Tsukishima, who was rolling up his sleeves.

"No – don't – " said Nanoha, but Tsukishima had already pulled out his bookmark-katana and a second later had slashed it at Nanoha's arm.

For a moment, she thought that Tsukishima had actually managed to pull it off – she couldn't feel the pain in her elbow anymore. But now that she thought about it, she couldn't feel her fingers either, she couldn't feel her arm at all. She didn't dare look at what was happening. He had shut her eyes, her face turned away from her arm, but her worst fears were realized as the people above her screamed and Sakura Haruno began clicking away madly. She could hear Fate's heavy breath next to her, fingers fumbling to wrap a cloth around it for some reason.

"Ah, said Tsukishima. "Yes. Well, that can sometimes happen. But the point is, the bones are no longer broken. That's the thing to bear in mind. So, Nanoha, just toddle up to the hospital wing – ah, Miss Testarossa, Miss Nakajima, would you escort her? – you might want to pick that up, Miss Lancaster – and Doctor Chopper will be able to – er – tidy you up a bit."

As Fate and Subaru helped Nanoha to her feet, she felt strangely lopsided. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was Teana's petrified face. She looked down at the thing in her arms and nearly vomited. She was holding a black-gloved, white-clothed arm in her hands, dangling limply. Nanoha dared to look at her own arm and really vomited this time.

Tsukishima hadn't mended Nanoha arm. He had cut it clean off.

* * *

Tony-Tony Chopper, the reindeer doctor, wasn't pleased.

"You should have come straight to me!" he raged, examining Nanoha's bloodied severed arm on the nearby table. "I can mend the bones in a human arm in a heartbeat, but growing a whole limb back – "

"You will be able to, won't you?" said Nanoha desperately.

"I'll be able to, certainly, but it will be painful," said Doctor Chopper grimly, throwing Nanoha a pair of pajamas "You'll have to stay for the night…"

Nanoha, Hayate, and Subaru waited outside the curtains drawn around Nanoha's bed since Fate was the only one who didn't feel squeamish at the sight of blood. Though it took a little longer to change since they had to stop whenever Fate's nose started to bleed every time they removed an article of clothing. Fate made some excuse about chronic nosebleeds and Nanoha bought it – Hayate and Teana could be heard sighing exasperatedly outside.

"How can you stick up for Tsukishima now, Tea, eh?" said Subaru, sounding surprisingly venomous at the man's name. "If Nanoha-San had wanted to cut her arm off she would have asked."

"Anyone can make a mistake," said Teana. "And it doesn't hurt anymore, right?"

"What is there to hurt?" said Nanoha, getting into bed. "If you haven't noticed, my arm is missing."

Hayate, Subaru, Teana, and Doctor Chopper came around the curtain. Doctor Chopper was holding a large bottle of something labeled _Lizard Juice_.

"This is a little formula developed by Doctor Curt Connors," said Doctor Chopper, pouring out a steaming glassful and handing it to her. "You'll be able grow your arm back, but it will be a rough night – you may also develop an appetite for small insects for the next few days."

Nanoha took a deep breath and gulped down the juice in one swig. It burned Nanoha's mouth and throat as it went down, making her cough and splutter. Still tut-tutting about dangerous sports and inept teachers, Doctor Chopper retreated, leaving Fate, Hayate, Teana, and Subaru to help Nanoha gulp down some water.

"We won, though," said Hayate, a grin breaking across her face. "That was some shot you made. Yuri's face…you looked like the sun spit on her…"

"I want to know how she fixed that Gadget," said Fate darkly.

"We can add that to the list of questions we'll ask her when we've taken the Polymorph Compound," said Nanoha, sinking back onto her pillows. "I hope it tastes better than this stuff…"

"If it's got bits of Materials in it? You've got to be joking," said Subaru.

The door to the hospital wing burst open at that moment. Filthy and soaking wet, the rest of the Kaiser team had arrived to see Nanoha.

"That was some unbelievable accuracy, Nanoha," said Rein. "I've just seen Saïx Isa yelling at Yuri. Something about have the Jewel Seed on top of her head and not noticing. Yuri didn't seem too happy."

They had brought cakes, sweets, and bottle of apple cider; they gathered around Nanoha's bed and were just getting started on what promised to be a good party when Doctor Chopper came storming over, shouting, "This girl needs rest, she's got bones, muscle and tissue to regrown! Out! OUT!"

And Nanoha was left alone, with nothing to distract her from the stabbing pain of her prickling shoulder.

* * *

Hours and hours later, Nanoha woke quite suddenly in the pitch blackness and gave a small yelp of pain; her arm had grown back to her elbow, which felt like it was full of large splinters. For a second, she thought that was what had woken her. Then, with a thrill of horror, she realized that someone was sponging her forehead in the dark.

"Get off!" she said loudly, and then, "_Vette!_"

The Twi'lek slave's head-tails twitched, her eyes peering at Nanoha through the darkness. A single tear was running down her beautiful face.

"You came back to school," she whispered, miserably. "I warned and warned you. Ah ma'am, why didn't you heed my warning? Why didn't you go back home when you messed the ship to St. Hilde?"

Nanoha heaved herself up on her pillows and pushed Vette's sponge away.

"What are you doing here?" she said. "And how did you know I messed the _Arthra_?" Vette's lips trembled and Nanoha was seized by a sudden suspicion. "It was _you!_ _You_ stopped the barrier from letting us through!"

"Yes, it was me, ma'am," said Vette, nodding her head vigorously, head-tails flapping. "I hid and watched for you and seal the gateway and I had to iron my hands afterward" – she showed Nanoha ten long, bandaged fingers – "but I didn't care, ma'am, for I thought that you were safe, and _never _would I have imagined that you would find another way to get to St. Hilde. I was so shocked when I heard Nanoha Takamachi was back at St. Hilde, I let my master's dinner burn! Master punished me for so long…"

"You nearly got Hayate-Chan and I expelled," said Nanoha fiercely. "You'd better get lost before my arm is fully healed, Vette, or I might strangle you."

"It wouldn't be the first time," said Vette, smiling weakly. "I'm used to death threats, ma'am. Master always beats and cuts me close to the edge of death."

She grabbed a bundle of the filthy cloth cover her breasts and blew her nose into it, flashing Nanoha for a good minute. Nanoha, red-faced and sporting a nosebleed, shielded her eyes and waved for Vette to put her shirt down. Vette complied and Nanoha looked back, feeling her anger ebb away when she finally realized how pathetic she looked. She glanced up at the collar that bound the Twi'lek to a life of slavery.

"If you try to run away, you'll be killed," said Nanoha curiously. "But isn't there someone you can be set free?"

"I told you before, ma'am," said Vette, smiling gratefully. "The collar only comes off when the head of the house sets me free. It works on a voice command and can only be deactivated when the master says 'I, the master, release my servant, the slave, from her service'. But the family is very careful with their words and they always know when I am up to something. I almost had them with a voice recorder, but they caught me halfway." She mopped her eyes and said suddenly, "You have to go home, Nanoha! I thought I could reprogram the Gadget, you would – "

"_You _reprogramed that Gadget?" said Nanoha, anger rising once more. "_You_ made that insane Gadget try and kill me? I lost an arm because of you!"

"It wasn't to kill you, ma'am, never to kill you!" said Vette, shocked. "I want to save your life! Better to be sent home, grievously injured, than remain here ma'am! I only wanted you hurt enough to be sent home!"

"Oh, is that all?" said Nanoha angrily. "I don't suppose you're going to tell me _why _you wanted to send me home in pieces?"

"Ah, if you only knew!" Vette groaned, more tears dripping onto her ragged clothing. "If you only knew what you meant to us, to the lowly, the enslaved, we dregs of the magical world! I remember how it was when the Queen of Darkness was at the height of her power, ma'am! We were taken as children and treated like vermin, ma'am! Of course, I'm still like that, ma'am," she admitted, drying her face on her shirt again – Nanoha was starting to feel lightheaded. "But mostly, ma'am, life has improved for my kind since you triumphed over the Queen of Darkness. Nanoha Takamachi survived and the Dark Queen's power was broken, and it was a new dawn, ma'am, and Nanoha Takamachi shone like a beacon of hope for those of us who thought dark days would never end, ma'am…

"And now, at St. Hilde, terrible things are to happen again, are perhaps happening already, and I cannot let you stay here now that history is to repeat itself, now that the Tomb of Shadows is open once more – "

Vette froze, horrorstruck, then grabbed Nanoha's water jug from her bedside table and cracked it over her head, toppling out of sight. A second later, she crawled back onto the bed, cross-eyed, muttering, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

"So there _is _a Tomb of Shadows?" Nanoha whispered. "And – did you say it's been opened _before?_ Tell me, Vette!" she seized the Twi'lek's bony wrist as Vette's hand inched toward the water jug. "But I'm not half-blood – how can I be in danger from the Tomb?"

"Ah, ma'am, ask no more, ask no more of me," stammered Vette, her eyes huge in the dark. "Dark deeds are planned in this place, you cannot be here when they happen – go home, Nanoha, go home. You must not meddle in this, ma'am, it's too dangerous – "

"Who is it, Vette?" Nanoha said, keeping a firm hold on Vette's wrist to stop her from hitting herself with the water jug again. "Who opened it? Who opened it last time?"

"I can't say, ma'am, I can't, I shouldn't tell!" squealed the slave. "Go home, Nanoha, go home!"

"I'm not going anywhere!" said Nanoha fiercely. "One of my best friends is half-blood; she'll be the first in line if the Tomb of Shadows really has been opened – "

"You would risk your own life for your friends!" moaned Vette in a kind of miserable ecstasy. "So noble! So valiant! But you must save yourself, you must, Nanoha Takamachi must not – "

Vette suddenly froze, her head-tails quivering. Nanoha heard it, too. There were footsteps coming down the hallway outside.

"I have to go!" breathed the slave, terrified. Prying her hand out of Nanoha's grip, Vette skillfully leaped to the top open window and disappeared into the darkness. Nanoha slumped back into bed, her eyes on the dark doorway to the hospital wing as the footsteps drew closer. Next moment, Carim was backing into the dormitory, wearing a long, satin nightgown. She was carrying one end of what looked like a statue. Linith-Sensei appeared a second later, carrying its feet. Together, they heave it onto the bed.

"Get Doctor Chopper," whispered Carim, and Linith-Sensei hurried past the end of Nanoha's bed out of sight. Nanoha lay quite still, pretending to be asleep. She heard urgent voices, and then Linith-Sensei swept back into view, closely followed by Doctor Chopper, who was replacing his sleeping cap with his normal one. She heard a sharp intake of breath.

"What happened?" Doctor Chopper whispered to Carim, bending over the statue on the bed.

"Another attack, said Carim. "Linith found her on the stairs."

"There was a bunch of grapes next to her," said Linith-Sensei. "We think she was trying to sneak up here to visit Takamachi."

Nanoha's stomach gave a horrible lurch. Slowly and carefully, she raised herself a few inches so she could look at the statue on the bed. A ray of moonlight lay across its staring face. It was Sakura Haruno. Her eyes were blank, her mouth was wide in horror, and there was a gaping hole in her chest just as she had found Captain Suì-Fēng that night.

"Her soul was broken?" whispered Doctor Chopper.

"Yes," said Linith-Sensei. "But I shudder to think…if Carim hadn't been on her way downstairs for hot chocolate – who know what might have – "

The three of them stared down at Sakura. Then Carim leaned forward and wrenched something out of Sakura's rigid hands – it was her camera.

"You don't think she managed to get a picture of her attacked?" said Linith-Sensei eagerly.

"Impossible," said Carim, turning the camera on. Sparks flew from it and a jet of steam hissed. "This camera was destroyed not by physical force, but by pure magical pressure."

"What does this _mean,_ Carim?" Linith-Sensei asked urgently.

"It means," said Carim, "that the Tomb of Shadows is indeed open again."

Doctor Chopped fell off his stool with an loud gasp. Linith-Sensei stared at Carim.

"But, Carim…surely…_who?_"

"The question is not _who_," said Carim, her eyes on Sakura. "The question is, _how…_"

And from what Nanoha could see of Linith-Sensei's shadowy face, she didn't understand this any better than she did.

* * *

**That's just like Nanoha – always the badass even when horribly injured and being amputated by incompetent teachers. Is it wrong to say I'm happy that Sakura was attacked and finally out of the majority of the story? Oh well, next chapter is possibly one of my favorites, the introduction of Fate's favorite sport: Brave Duel! And the shocking secret that will make everyone ask: Is Nanoha pure angel or a White Devil?**


	11. The White Devil

**Nanoha and the Tomb of Shadows**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven: The White Devil**

Nanoha woke up on Sunday morning to find the dormitory blazing with summer sunlight and her arm back fully regrown though she had an urge for a plate of flies. She sat up quickly and looked over at Sakura's bed, but it had been blocked from view by the high curtains Nanoha had changed behind yesterday. Seeing that she was awake, Doctor Chopper came bustling over with a breakfast tray and then began bending and stretching her arm and fingers.

"All in order," he said as she fed herself porridge, which tasted suspiciously like paste. "When you've finished eating, you may leave."

Nanoha dressed as quickly as she could and hurried off to Kaiser Tower, desperate to tell Fate and the others about Sakura and Vette, but they weren't there. Nanoha left to look for them, wondering where they could have gone to and feeling slightly hurt that they weren't interested in whether she had her arm back or not. As Nanoha passed the Infinity Library, Signum Yagami strolled out of it, looking in far better spirits than last time they had met.

"Oh, hello, Nanoha," she said. "Excellent shot yesterday, really excellent. Kaiser had just taken the lead for the House Cup – you earned fifty points!"

"You haven't seen Fate-Chan or Hayate-Chan, have you?" said Nanoha. "Maybe Teana or Subaru?"

"No, I haven't," said Signum, smile fading. "I hope Hayate is not in the Midnight Tower again…"

Nanoha forced a nervous laugh, watched Signum walk out of sight, and then headed straight for Secret's tower. She couldn't see why Fate or the others would be in there again, but after making sure neither Signum nor any of the Shinigami were around, she opened the door and heard the voices coming from up the stairs.

"It's me," she said, closing the door behind her. There was a clunk, a splash, and a gasp from above and she saw Fate's head poke through the broken staircase.

"_Nanoha!_" she said. "You scared me – I almost dropped the promethium nitrate – come on up – how's your arm?"

"Fine," said Nanoha, levitating to the top step. A silver pot was perched on the windowsill, sitting on top of a small rack with a crackling blue fire that had been lit beneath it. Hayate wasn't particularly skilled with basic forms of magic, but she had knack for unique magic types like blue fire, which felt cold rather than hot to be near.

"It's a Freezing Flame Spell – the compound needs to be chilled," said Hayate. "We would have come to meet you, but we decided to get started on the Polymorph Compound. We decided that this was the safest place to hide it."

Nanoha started to tell them about Sakura, but Teana interrupted.

"We already know – we heard Linith-Sensei telling Professor Stein this morning. That's why we decided we had better get going – "

"The sooner we get a confession out of Yuri, the better," snarled Subaru, surprising everyone. "You know what I think? She was in such a bad mood after losing the Riot Force match; she took it out on Sakura-Chan."

"There's something else," said Nanoha, watching Teana dicing the bits of sodium chloride and throwing them into the mixture. "Vette came to visit me in the middle of the night."

Teana and Subaru looked up, amazed. They hadn't heard the story of Vette coming to visit her at home. Nanoha told them everything Vette had told her – or hadn't told her. Fate, Hayate, Teana, and Subaru listened with their mouths open.

"The Tomb of Shadows had been opened _before?_" Fate said.

"This settles it," said Hayate in a triumphant voice. "Dearche Eberwein must have opened the Tomb when she was at school here and now she's told dear old Yuri how to do it. It's obvious. Wish Vette would have told you what kinds of monsters were in there, though. I want to know how come nobody has noticed it sneaking around the church."

"Maybe it can make itself invisible," said Subaru, watching Fate drip sulfuric acid into the pot. "Or maybe it can disguise itself – pretend to be a suit of armor or something – my sisters told me about things like Stealth Sneaks – "

"Camouflage and invisibility are two different things, Subaru," said Hayate, pouring the magnesium oxide into the compound. She crumpled up the empty bag and looked at Nanoha. "So Vette stopped us from getting on the _Arthra _and broke your arm…" She shook her head. "You know what, Nanoha? If she doesn't stop trying to save your life she's going to kill you."

* * *

The news that Sakura Haruno had been attacked and was now lying as though dead in the hospital wing had spread through the entire church by Monday morning. The air was suddenly thick with rumor and suspicion. The first years were now moving around the castle in tight-knit groups, as though scared they would be attacked if they ventured forth alone.

Vita Yagami, who sat next to Sakura Haruno in Mana class, was distraught, but Nanoha felt that Agito and Rein were going the wrong way about cheering her up. They were taking turns covering themselves in fur or boils and jumping out from behind statues, often leading to one or both being clobbered over the head with a metal hammer. They only stopped when Signum, apoplectic with rage, told them she was going to write to Shamal or Zafira and tell them Vita was having nightmares.

Meanwhile, hidden from the teachers, a roaring trade of talismans, amulets, and other protective devices was sweeping the school. Subaru Nakajima bought a large, evil-smelling onion, a pointed purple crystal, and a rotting newt tail before Teana and the other Kaisers pointed out that she was in no danger; she was a pure-blood, and therefore unlikely to be attacked.

"But me and my sisters were adopted by a Machlos," Subaru said, scrambling for more good luck charms. "And everyone knows I'm almost a Machlos myself."

* * *

In the second week of July, Linith-Sensei came around as usual, collecting names of those who would be staying at the church for St. King's Day. Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate signed her list; they had heard that Yuri was staying, which struck them as very suspicious. The holiday would be the perfect time to use the Polymorph Compound and try to worm a confession out of her. Subaru and Teana couldn't stay because they had already promised Subaru's sisters that they would be home for the holidays.

Unfortunately, the mixture was only half finished. They still needed the Carbamazepine and Chloroamphenicol, and the only way they were going to get them was from Presea's private laboratory. Nanoha privately felt she would rather face Nachtwal's army of demons than let Presea catch her robbing her office. A sentiment Fate shared, judging by her pale expression.

"What we need," said Fate softly as Tuesday afternoon's double Scientific Research lesson loomed closer, "is a diversion. Then one of us can sneak into mother's lab and take what we need." Nanoha and Hayate looked at her nervously. "I think I'd better do the actual stealing. You two will get expelled if you get into any more trouble, and despite my apprehension, she is my mother, so she won't expel me. All I need you to do is cause enough mayhem to keep mother busy for five minutes."

Nanoha smiled feebly. Deliberately causing mayhem in Presea's class was about as safe as stealing Fried's dinner. Scientific Research took place in the lower levels of the church. Thursday afternoon's lessons proceeded in the usual way. Twenty chemistry sets stood bubbling between the wooden desks, on which stood brass scales and jars of ingredients. Presea prowled through the fumes, making warpish remarks about the Kaisers' work while the Materials sniggered appreciatively. The only one who was safe from Presea's belittling comments was Fate, whom she favored even more than her own house, a fact that Kaiser's usually depended on in class.

Nanoha's Swelling Solution was far too runny, but she had her mind on more important things. She was waiting for Fate's signal, and she hardly listened as Presea paused to sneer at her watery concoction. When Presea turned and walked off to bully Subaru, Fate caught Nanoha's eye and nodded. Nanoha ducked swiftly down behind her desk, pulled one of Agito's fireworks out of her pocket, and lit the fuse. The firework began to fizz and sputter. Knowing she had only seconds, Nanoha straightened up, took aim, and lobbed it into the air; it landed right on target in Kyrie's beaker.

Kyrie's solution exploded, showering the whole class. People shrieked as splashes of Swelling Solution hit them. Yuri got a faceful and her nose began to swell like a balloon; Kyrie blundered around, her hands over her eyes, which had expanded to the size of dinner plates – Presea was trying to restore calm and find out what happened. Through the confusion, Nanoha saw Fate slip quietly into Presea's laboratory.

"Silence! SILENCE!" Presea roared. "Anyone who has been splashed, come here for a deflating Draft – when I find out who did this – "

Nanoha tried not to laugh as she watched Yuri hurry forward, her head drooping with the weight of a nose like a small melon. As half the class lumbered up to Presea's desk, some weighted down with arms like clubs, other unable to talk through gigantic puffed-up lips, Nanoha saw Fate slide back into the class, her cape bulging. When everyone took a swig of antidote and the various swellings had subsided, Presea swept over to Kyrie's beaker and scooped over the twisted black remains of the firework. There was a sudden hush.

"If I ever find out who threw this," Presea whispered, "I shall _make sure_ that person is expelled."

Nanoha arranged her face into what she hoped was a puzzled expression. Presea was looking right at her, and the bell that rang ten minutes later could not have been more welcome. Nanoha, Hayate, and Fate were quick to pack up their things and make a dash for the door until –

"Fate, can I see you for a moment," said Presea. Her daughter visibly stiffened as the rest of the class filed out; she hesitantly turned and marched back to her mother's desk, suddenly becoming interested in her boots. "You don't look very well. Perhaps you should take off your cape."

"N-No, I'm fine, M-Mother," said Fate nervously.

"That wasn't a request," said Presea in a low voice that scared even Nanoha. "Take off your cape – now!" Fate looked like she was ready to protest, but one at her mother's heated gaze quickly killed her resolve. She slowly removed her cape, exposing the ingredients that she had stolen from Presea's lab. "Carbamazepine, Chloroamphenicol – you're making a Polymorph Compound, aren't you?"

"Yes, Mother," Fate admitted, resigning to her doom.

"Well…" said Presea slowly. "If you need Carbamazepine and Chloroamphenicol, then the compound will most likely be finished in two weeks' time. When you are finished, I want a sample of your work on my desk." Fate looked up, her mouth open in shock. "If my daughter feels that she needs a better challenge than these mediocre lessons I have been teaching, I want to be sure she is learning properly. I'm proud of you, Fate."

Presea slid out from behind her desk, walking past her stunned daughter, shoving through the equally petrified Kaisers, and slammed the door behind her.

"…**what the hell kind of parallel universe did we fall into?**" said Raising Heart, worried.

* * *

A week later, Nanoha, Fate, Hayate, Teana, and Subaru were walking across the entrance hall when they saw a knot of people gathered around the notice board, reading a piece of paper that had just been pinned up. Rex Salazar and Ben Tennyson beckoned them over, looking excited.

"They're starting a Brave Duel Club!" said Ben. "First meeting tonight! I wouldn't mind dueling lessons; they might come in handy one of these days…"

"Brave Duel – that's great!" said Nanoha, looking excited at Fate. "Now i get a chance to see Fate-Chan fight just like she did in those tournaments! This is going to be so great!"

"I'm not really that good," said Fate, red-faced but smiling.

"Says the fourth place world champion," said Hayate knowingly. "I wonder if Nachtwal's army knows how to duel? I guess it wouldn't hurt to learn a few lessons."

Teana and Subaru were all for it, so at eight o'clock that evening they hurried back to the Great Hall. The long dining tables had vanished and a golden stage had appeared along one wall, lit by thousands of miniature suns floating overhead. The ceiling was velvety black once more and most of the school seemed to be packed beneath it, all carrying their Devices and looking excited.

"I wonder who will be teaching us?" said Subaru as they edged into the chattering crowd. "Someone told me Professor Stein was a dueling champion when he was young – maybe it'll be him."

"As long as it's not – " Nanoha began, but she ended on a groan: Shūkurō Tsukishima was walking onto the stage, accompanied by none other than Presea, wearing her usual loathing scowl.

Tsukishima waved his arm for silence and called, "Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent! Now, Carim-Sama has granted me permission to start this little Brave Duel club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself had done on countless occasions – for full details, see my published works.

"Let me introduce my assistant, Presea-Sensei," said Tsukishima, flashing a wide smile. "She tells me she knows a tiny little bit about Brave Duel herself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry – you'll still have your research teacher when I'm through with her, never fear!"

"Wouldn't it be great if they finished each other off?" Hayate muttered in Nanoha's ear.

Presea's upper lip was curling. Nanoha wondered why Tsukishima was still smiling; if Presea had been looking at _her _like that she would have been running in the opposite direction, swam across the ocean, hailed a cap, bought a plane ticket, and boarded a rocket ship to the other side of the galaxy. Tsukishima and Presea turned to face each other and bowed; at least, Tsukishima did, with much twirling of his hands, whereas Presea jerked her head irritably. Then they raised their Devices in front of them.

"As you see, we are holding our Devices in the accepted combative position," Tsukishima told the silent crowd. "On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course."

"I wouldn't bet on that," Nanoha muttered, watching Presea baring her teeth.

"One – two – three – "

Both of them swung their Devices above their heads and pointed them at their opponent; Presea cried: "**Photon Bullet!**" There was a dazzling flash of purple light and Tsukishima was blasted off his feet: he flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor. Yuri and some of the other Materials cheered. Teana was dancing on tiptoes.

"Do you think he's all right?" she squealed through her fingers.

"Who cares?" said Nanoha and Subaru together.

Tsukishima was getting unsteadily to his feet, his wavy hair standing on end.

"Well, there you have it!" he said, tottering onto the platform. "The Testarossa Family's unique Photon Magic – as you see, I've lost my Device – ah, thank you, Mr. Lea – yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Presea-Sensei, but if you don't mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy – however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see…" Presea was looking murderous. Possibly Tsukishima had noticed, because he said, "Enough demonstrating! I'm going to come amongst you now and put you all into pairs. Presea-Sensei, if you would like to help me – "

They moved through the crowd, matching up partners. Tsukishima teamed Subaru with Lisanna Strauss and Teana with Larxene Éclair, but Presea reached Nanoha and Fate first.

"Time to split up the dream team, I think," she sneered. "Fate, you can partner with Mr. Salazar – his unique Nanite Magic might prove a challenge. Takamachi – " Nanoha moved automatically to Hayate. "Unfortunately, Miss Yagami is in no condition to participate in a duel. Miss Eberwein, come over here. Let's see what you make of the famous Takamachi."

Yuri strutted over, smirking. Nanoha hated to admit it, but while she may have had the advantage in Aerial Magic, she had never faced Yuri in a proper Brave Duel before. coming from such an old family, she may know magic that rivaled Fate.

"Face your partners!" called Tsukishima, back on the platform. "And bow!" Nanoha and Yuri barely inclined their heads, not taking their eyes off each other. "Devices at the ready! When I count to here, cast your spells to disarm your opponents – _only _to disarm them – we don't want any accidents – one…two…three – "

Nanoha swung Raising Heart, but Yuri had already started on "two": her spell hit Nanoha so hard she felt as though she had been hit over the head with a saucepan. She stumbled, leaning on Raising Heart for support, but everything seemed to be working, and wasting no more time, Nanoha pointed Raising Heart straight at Yuri and shouted, "**Axel Shooter!**" A volley of pink beams sprouted from Raising Hearts gem and smashed into Yuri, sending her tumbling backwards.

"_I said disarm only!_" Tsukishima shouted in alarm over the heads of the battling crowd, as Yuri sank to her knees; Nanoha had hit her with an Impact Cannon, and she was doubled over, wheezing. Nanoha hung back, with a vague feeling it would be unsporting to attack Yuri while she was on the floor, but this was a mistake; gasping for breath, Yuri threw out her hand and choked, "**Eternal Saber!**" and the next second Nanoha was pinned to the wall by four black energy swords.

"Stop! Stop!" screamed Tsukishima, but Presea took charge.

"**Photon Burst!**" she shouted.

A purple explosion ripped through the starry ceiling, expelling all Mana within the Great Hall. Fate was standing over Rex's smoking body, apparently untouched by his gigantic machine hands; Subaru was holding up an ashen-faced Lisanna, apologizing for whatever spell she had done; but Teana and Larxene were still moving; Larxene had Teana in a headlock and Teana was w=struggling to break free; both their Devices lay forgotten on the floor. Subaru leapt forward and pulled Larxene off, flipping her on her back.

"Dear, dear," said Tsukishima, skittering through the crowd, looking at the aftermath of the duels. "Up you go, Tennyson…Careful there, Mr. Batson…Pinch it hard, it'll stop bleeding in a second, McGinnis – I think I'd better you how to _block _unfriendly spells." He glanced at Presea, whose dark eyes glittered, and looked quickly away. "Let's have a volunteer pair – Nakajima and Strauss, how about you – "

"A bad idea, Tsukishima-Sensei," said Presea, gliding over like a large and malevolent bat. "Nakajima causes devastation with the simplest of spells. We'll be sending what's left of Strauss up to the hospital wing in a matchbox." Subaru's face burned red. "How about Eberwein and Takamachi?"

"Excellent idea!" said Tsukishima, gesturing Nanoha and Yuri into the middle of the hall as the crowd backed away to give them room. "Now, Nanoha. When Yuri tries to attack you, you do _this_." He swung his katana around, attempted a complicated sort of wiggling action, and dropped it near Nanoha's feet – as if losing at arm wasn't bad enough. Presea smirked as Tsukishima quickly picked it up, saying, "Whoops – my sword is a little overexcited – "

"**Or you're just a dumbass**," said Raising Heart quietly.

Presea moved closer to Yuri, bent down, and whispered something in her ear, too. Nanoha looked up nervously at Tsukishima and said, "Sensei, could you show me that blocking thing again?"

"Scared?" muttered Yuri, so that Tsukishima couldn't hear her.

"You wish," said Nanoha out of the corner of her mouth."

Tsukishima cuffed Nanoha merrily on the shoulder. "Just do what I did, Nanoha!"

"**What, drop me on the floor?**" said Raising Hearts.

But Tsukishima wasn't listening.

"Three – two – one – go!" he shouted.

Yuri threw out her fist quickly and bellowed, "**VIPER!**"

Her knuckles exploded with a burst of black energy. Before Nanoha realized what happened, a viper produced from pure-black Mana slithered across the hall, jumped on Nanoha, slipped around her waist, and pierced her shoulder with its fangs. There were screams from the crowd as most of them swiftly backed away, fearing the snake would come after them next. Nanoha groaned weakly, lowered her head, and dropped to one knee as she felt her body going numb.

"Don't move, Takamachi," said Presea lazily, clearly enjoying the sight of Nanoha's weakened state. "I'll get rid of it…"

"Allow me!" shouted Tsukishima. He brandished his bookmark-katana at the snake and slashed across the serpent's head; the viper, instead of vanishing, hissed at Tsukishima, who stumbled backwards, and stabbed its fangs into the back of Nanoha's neck. The screams were louder this time as Nanoha dropped to her hands and knees; Raising Heart clattering loudly on the floor. Obviously sensing the danger, Presea quickly moved to help, but then something happened…

Nanoha wasn't sure what made her do it. She wasn't even sure if she was conscious of it. All she knew was that her hand slowly edged to the back of her neck and grappled the serpent by the throat, crushing the energy snake in her palm. She snapped her head up and shouted "**ESTRELLA!**" Presea quickly turned and pulled Yuri to the floor as a beam of destructive crimson energy shot across the Great Hall and ripped through the wall like butter. Nanoha panted, not realizing what she had done, and looked between the hole in the wall and the students who were backing away from her with scared expressions. She locked eyes with Lisanna Strauss, who seemed even more terrified of Nanoha than the Mana viper.

"Stay away from me, you monster!" she screamed, and before Nanoha could say anything, Lisanna had turned and stormed out of the hall.

Presea stood back up, fixing the wall with a lazy wave of her Device. Presea, too, was looking at Nanoha in an unexpected way: It was a shrewd and calculating look, and Nanoha didn't like it. she was also dimly aware of an ominous muttering all around the walls. Then she was lifted off her feet and thrown of what she recognized as Subaru's shoulder.

"Come on," said Fate's voice in her ear. "Move – come _on – _"

Fate steered Subaru and Nanoha out of the hall, Teana wheeling Hayate behind them. As they went through the doors, the people on either side drew away as though they were frightened of catching something. Nanoha didn't have a clue what was going on, and none of her friends explained anything until they had dragged her all the way up to the empty Kaiser Tower. Subaru deposited her into an armchairs and Hayate said, "You're A Visored! Why didn't you tell us?"

"I'm a what?" said Nanoha, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You're face!" said Fate urgently. "Nanoha, look at your face!"

Not understanding what the fuss was all about, Nanoha walked over to the mirror, looked at her reflection, and nearly fell back in fright. She looked the same as always with the exception of the ceramic-white mask covering the left side of her face, a thin strip of red running over the eye socket, where her normally blue eyes was now a piercing gold. Nanoha couldn't explain it, but she suddenly felt exhausted, and as if knowing, the mask shattered into tiny shards on the floor.

"W-What was that?" Nanoha stammered, looking to her friends for answers. "What happened to me?"

"That was the mask of a Visored – a half-human, half-Hollow hybrid," Teana explained cautiously. "Has this ever happened before?"

"Well…I don't know…" said Nanoha lowly. "I remember feeling this way over a year ago. I accidentally set a flock of vampire bats on my cousin Kenta at the zoo once – long story – but one of them was telling me it had never seen Argentina before and I sort of set them free without meaning to – that was before I knew I was a mage – "

"A vampire bat told you it had never been to Argentina?" Subaru repeated faintly.

"So?" said Nanoha. "I bet loads of people here can do it."

"Oh, no they can't," said Fate. "It's not a common gift, Nanoha. It's very rare for anyone to have the powers of a Visored because mixing human and Hollow can lead to some very nasty side effects. The reason you could understand the vampire bats was because they are creatures of darkness, the same as Hollows."

"We're just lucky you only made a mask and didn't turn full Hollow," said Hayate. "Though that's the least of your worries right now."

"Do you want to tell me what's wrong with saving my life?" said Nanoha. "Sure, I might have blasted a hole in the wall, but that just means I have to learn to control it, right? It's not such a big deal."

"It _is _a big deal," said Teana, "because Nachtwal was the first Visored in history – he was the one who perfected the craft of mixing human and Hollow genealogy."

Nanoha's mouth fell open.

"Exactly," said Hayate. "And now the whole church is going to think you're his great-great-great-great-granddaughter or something – "

"But I'm not," said Nanoha, with a panic she couldn't quite explain. "I can't be."

"You'll find that hard to prove," said Fate. "He lived over a thousand years ago; for all we know, you could be."

* * *

Nanoha lay awake for hours that night. Through the gap in the curtains around her canopy bed she watched the stars twinkle in the night sky and wondered…_could_ she be the descendant of Nachtwal? She didn't know anything about her father's family, after all. The Henkens had always forbidden questions about her magical relatives. Quietly, Nanoha tried to create her Visored mask again, but it couldn't come. It seemed she needed to be in the proper mood.

_But I'm in Kaiser_," Nanoha thought. _The Goddess Cosmos wouldn't have put me in here if I had Nachtwal's blood…_

_Ah,_ said a nasty little voice in her brain, _but the Goddess wanted to put you in Material, don't you remember?_

Nanoha turned over. He had to see Lisanna the next day in Environmental Studies and she would explain that she was not going to attack her or anything and that everyone (she thought angrily, pummeling her pillow) should have realized that.

* * *

By the next morning, however, class had been cancelled because Hashirama had a severe need to repot the Mandrakes since Deadpool had thought it would be a fun idea to give them all manicures, now that it was so important for the Mandrakes to grow quickly and revive Captain Suì-Fēng and Sakura Haruno. Nanoha fretted about this next to the fire in the Kaiser common room, while Hayate and Teana used their time off to play a game of chess while Fate tutored Subaru in Scientific Research.

"For St. King's sake, Nanoha," said Teana, exasperated, as one of Hayate's bishops wrestled her knight off her knight off his horse and dragged him off the board. "Go and _find_ Lisanna if it's so important to you."

So Nanoha got up and left through the archway, wondering where Lisanna might be. The castle was darker than it usually was in daytime because of the thick, gray clouds blocking the sky. Nanoha walked past classrooms where lessons were taking place, catching snatches of what was happening within. Linith-Sensei was shouting at someone who, by the sound of it, had turned his friend into a wombat. Resisting the urge to look, Nanoha walked on by, thinking that Lisanna might be using her free time to catch up on some work, and deciding to check the Infinity Library first.

A group of Hades who should have been in Environmental Studies was indeed sitting at the back of the library, but they didn't seem to be working. Between the long lines of high bookshelves, Nanoha could see that their heads were close together and they were having what looked like an absorbing conversation. She couldn't see whether Lisanna was among them. she was walking toward them when something of what they were saying met her ears, and she paused to listen, hidden in the Invisibility section.

"So anyway," a white-haired boy was saying, "I told Lisanna to hide up in our dormitory. I mean to say, if Takamachi's marked her down as her next victim, it's best if she keeps a low profile for a while. Of course, Lisanna's been waiting for something like this to happen ever since she let slip to Takamachi she was half-blood. Lisanna actually _told _her she had been down for a Machlos school. That's not the kind of thing you talk about with Nachtwal's heir on the loose, is it?"

"You definitely think it _is _Takamachi, then, Soul?" said a girl with ashy pigtails anxiously.

"Maka," said Soul solemnly, "she's a Visored. Everyone knows that's the mark of a Dark Mage. Have you ever heard of a good Visored? They called Nachtwal the Demon Mask. Remember what was written on the wall? _Enemies of the Heir, Beware._ Takamachi had some sort of run-in with Captain Suì-Fēng. Next thing we know, she's been attacked. That first year, Haruno, was annoying Takamachi at the Riot Force match, taking pictures of her while she was lying in the mud. Next thing we know – Haruno's been attacked.

"She always seems so nice, though," said Maka uncertainly, "and, well, she's the one who made the Queen of Darkness disappear. She can't be that bad, can she?"

"No one knows how she survived that attack by the Dark Queen," said Soul mysteriously. "I mean to say, she was only a baby when it happened. Only a really powerful Dark Mage could have survived a curse like that. _That's _probably why the Dark Queen wanted to kill her in the first place. Didn't want another queen _competing _with her. She a devil, I tell you – a White Devil."

Nanoha couldn't take it anymore. Clearing her throat loudly, she stepped out from behind the bookshelves. If she hadn't been feeling so angry, she would have found the sight that greeted her funny: every one of the Hades looked as though they had been petrified by the sight of her, and the color was draining from Soul's face.

"Hello, said Nanoha. "I'm looking for Lisanna Strauss."

The Hades' worst fears had clearly been confirmed. They all looked fearfully at Soul.

"What do you want with her?" said Soul in a quivering voice.

"I wanted to tell her about the whole thing at the Brave Duel Club," said Nanoha.

Soul bit his white lips and then, taking a deep breath, said, "We were all there. We saw what happened. You created a Visored mask and were ready to attack Lisanna."

"I _wasn't _going to attack anyone!" Nanoha sad, her voice shaking with anger. "I didn't even _touch _her!"

"It would make you look suspicious to attack in front of a crowd," said Soul. "And in case you're getting any ideas, I might tell that you can trace my family back through nine generations of Mages and my blood's as pure as anyone's, so – "

"I don't care what kind of blood you've got!" said Nanoha fiercely. "Why would I want to attack half-bloods?"

"I heard you hate the Machlos you live with," said Soul swiftly.

"It's not possible to live with the Henkens and not hate them," said Nanoha. "I'd like to see you try it."

She turned on her heel and stormed out of the library, earning herself a reproving glare from Yuuno Scrya, who was polishing the gilded cover of a large spell book. Nanoha blundered up the corridor barely noticing where she was going, she was in such a fury. The result was that she walked into something very large and solid, which knocked her backwards onto the floor.

"Wha – Nel?" Nanoha said, looking up.

Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck smiled at Nanoha tiredly, offering a hand to help her up. Nanoha stared. It had been close to a year since she had met the centaur in the Forbidden Forest when she had saved her from the then-unidentified Envy. It was very rare to see someone like her wandering freely around the church.

"All right, Nanoha Takamachi?" said Nel, rubbing her forehead. "Why aren't you in class?"

"Cancelled," said Nanoha, taking a good look at her. "Are you all right, Nel? You look sick."

"I've been having trouble with headaches recently," said Nel, sounding exhausted. "Haven't been able to sleep for days. I've been coming up to the castle to ask Doctor Chopper to prescribe me some painkillers and sleeping aid." She peered more closely at Nanoha. "I think I should be asking if _you _are all right, Nanoha Takamachi. You look bothered – "

Nanoha couldn't bring herself to repeat what Soul and the rest of Hades had been saying about her.

"It's nothing," she said. "I'd better get going, Nel, it's Alchemy next and I've got to pick up my books."

She walked off, her mind still full of what Soul had said about her.

"_Lisanna's been waiting for something like this to happen ever since she let slip to Takamachi she was half-blood…"_

Nanoha stamped up the stairs and turned along another hallway, which was particularly dark; the torches had been extinguished by a strong, icy draft. She was halfway down the hallway when she tripped headlong over something lying on the floor. She turned to squint at what she had fallen over and felt as though her stomach had dissolved.

Lisanna Strauss was lying on the flood, her eyes blank, a look of shock frozen on her face, and a massive hole in her chest. And that wasn't all. Next to her was another figure, slumped against the window with shards of ice surrounding him. It was Captain Hitsugaya, his eyes and facial expression matching Lisanna's with a large hole ripping through his chest – the upper portions of his uniform had been shredded.

Nanoha got to her feet, her breathing fast and shallow, her heart doing a kind of drumroll against her ribs. She looked wildly up and down the deserted hallway and saw a line of Araña scuttling as fast as they could away from the bodies. The only sounds were the muffled voices of teachers from the classes on either side. She could run, and no one would ever know she had been there. But she couldn't just leave them lying here…he had to get help…would anyone believe she hadn't had anything to do with this?

As she stood there, panicking, a door right next to her opened with a bang. Loki the Trickster came shooting out.

"Why, it's taki-maki!" cackled Loki. "What's Takamachi up to? Why's Takamachi lurking – " Loki stopped, halfway through a midair somersault. Upside down, eh spotted Lisanna and Captain Hitsugaya. He flipped the right way up, filled his lungs and, before Nanoha could stop him, screamed, "ATTACK! ATTACK! ANOTHER ATTACK! NO MORTAL OR GHOST IS SAFE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! ATTAAAACK!"

Crash – crash – crash – door after door flew open along the hallway and people flooded out. For several long minutes, there was a scene of much confusion that Lisanna was in danger of being trampled. Nanoha found herself pinned against the wall as the teachers shouted for quiet. Linith-Sensei came running, followed by her own class, one of whom still had black-and-white-striped hair. She clapped her hands to set off a loud bang, which restored silence, and ordered everyone back into their classes. No sooner had the scene cleared somewhat that Soul the Hades arrived, panting, on the scene.

"_Caught in the act!_" Soul yelled, his face stark white, pointing his finger dramatically at Nanoha.

"**Maka Chop!**" said Maka, bringing down a thick book over Soul's head. "Don't just run off like that, you idiot!"

Loki was bobbing overhead, now grinning wickedly, surveying the scene; Loki always loved chaos. As the teachers bent over Lisanna and Captain Hitsugaya, examining them, Loki broke into song, but was quickly stifled.

"That's enough, Loki!" barked Linith-Sensei, and Loki zoomed away backward, with his tongue out at Nanoha.

Lisanna was carried up to the Hospital wing by Maka, who was also lugging an unconscious Soul behind her, while Professor Stein lifted Captain Hitsugaya and started walking towards the Tenth Division barracks on the first floor. Nanoha could only imagine how the Shinigami would react to find that both of their captains had been attacked – the Captain-Commander might reconsider punishing Nanoha. Speaking of which, Nanoha turned to Linith-Sensei, who looked deeply upset.

"This way, Takamachi," she said.

"Sensei," said Nanoha at once, "I swear, I didn't – "

"This is out of my hands, Takamachi," said Linith-Sensei curtly. They marched all the way down to the entrance hall in silence and she stopped before the statue of Olivie Sägebrecht in the center. "Dongo!"

This was evidently a password, because the floor circling the statue suddenly lowered and separated into eight parts, sliding out of sight beneath the floor. Even full of dread for what was coming, Nanoha couldn't fail to be amazed. Hidden beneath the statue of the St. King was a spiral staircase that was moving smoothly, like an escalator. As she and Linith-Sensei stepped onto it, she heard the hatch close above them. They descended downward in circles, lower and lower beneath the church, until at last, slightly dizzy, Nanoha saw two giant oak doors decorated with Ancient Belkan symbols.

This must be where the original St. Church had been hidden and, Nanoha realized, was also where Carim lived.

* * *

**Why is it that the good girls always end up in the worst situations? Not only has Nanoha discovered a new and terrify power, she is also ostracized by the rest of the church as the White Devil (Yay for references again!) In the next chapter, Nanoha will be one of the few to visit the original St. Church and our heroes will make a daring descent into the heart of Material. To see how that all plays out, stay tuned for the next chapter.**


	12. The Polymorph Compound

**Nanoha and the Tomb of Shadows**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve: The Polymorph Compound**

They stepped off the stone staircase at the bottom, and Linith-Sensei rapped on the doors. They opened silently and they entered. Linith-Sensei told Nanoha to wait and left her there, alone. Nanoha looked around. One thing was certain: of all the teachers' offices Nanoha had visited so far this year, Carim's was by far the most interesting. If she hadn't been scared out of her wits that she was about to be thrown out of the church, she would have been very pleased to have a chance to look around.

There was no doubt that Carim's office was the original Saint Church that St. Hilde was built over. It was as large as the Sistine Chapel, the walls and ceiling drawn with images of Belka's history and culture, a few dozen polished oak pews lined up neatly, and beautiful stained glasses that shined light into the room even though it was underground. Behind the blue velvet altar was a finely cut statue of Olivie Sägebrecht hand-in-hand with a small child that looked just like her – her daughter possibly? She noticed a number of hardwood cabinets lined against the walls storing a number of curious objects including a thin, scratched crystal – _Cosmo's Crystal!_

Nanoha hesitated. She cast a wary eye around the empty chapel. Surely it couldn't hurt if she took the crystal down and tried it again? Just to see…just to make sure it _had _put her in the right House. Nanoha walked quietly to the cabinet, lifted the crystal from its shelf, and closed her eyes. The void in her mind was black and she was alone…until a light shined through the darkness. The beautiful blonde goddess dressed in white appeared before her, looking very smug as if she had been expecting Nanoha for quite some time.

"Troubled, are we, Takamachi?" she said.

"Er, yes," Nanoha muttered. "Er – sorry to bother you – I wanted to ask – "

"You've been wondering whether I put you in the right House," said Cosmos smartly. "Yes…you were particularly difficult to place. But I stand by what I said before" – Nanoha heart leapt – "you _would _have done well in Material – "

Nanoha's stomach plummeted. She forced the goddess from her mind and stared angrily at the crystal that had failed her. She threw the jewel back into the cabinet, slamming the doors loudly.

"You're wrong," she said aloud to the lifeless jewel. Nanoha backed away, watching it.

Then a strange, yet intimidating growl behind her made her wheel around. She wasn't alone, and she wished to the Saint King that she was anywhere else right now. Lurking between the pews was a large, spotted snow leopard – probably an adult by the sheer size of its paws and teeth. Nanoha stared at it and the wild feline looked back with shimmer, crystal-blue eyes, purring as it stepped into the aisle. Nanoha must have looked like a bite sized snack to it; the one time she forgot to bring Raising Heart with her. The snow leopard took a few steps closer, its paws thudding lightly.

Nanoha was just thinking that all she needed was for Carim to come back finding an escaped animal knowing on her carcass while she was alone in the chapel, when the snow leopard attacked. Nanoha yelled in shock and backed away, tripping on her feet. She tried crawling away, but found herself backed against the altar and, in no time, was pinned down by the snow leopard's paws on her shoulders. The animal snarled down on Nanoha; her nose wrinkled from its hot and heavy breath.

Death by random snow leopard attack – can't say that's been done before. Nanoha couldn't help whimper as the predator opened its mouth and…licked her? Nanoha blinked. The snow leopard wasn't eating her; it was greeting her with its scratchy tongue like a little kitten. That was strange.

"I think she's had enough, Asteion," Carim had appeared from the chapel doors. The snow leopard bounded to her and cuddled against her legs, earning a pat on the head. "You'll have to excuse Asteion, Nanoha. He doesn't meet strangers very often so he can be a little playful."

"If that's playful, I'd hate to see him when he's hungry," mumbled Nanoha, slowly standing up. She looked back at the snow leopard, who was on his back and Carim scratched him belly, smiling. "I didn't know you had a pet snow leopard."

"Not many people are aware of this fact," said Carim, scratching her pet's chin. "Snow leopards can be considered very dangerous and almost impossible to domesticate. However, Asteion is one of the few Shutra snow Leopards in the universe since the collapse of their planet. They are immensely strong creatures, they are excellent trackers, and they make highly _faithful_ pets." She waved her hand, silently commanding the predator to return to wherever it had come from. "Olivie's favorite animal was the snow leopard - they were a present from her lover, Claus Ingvalt. Since then, it had been sort of a tradition to raise them at St. Hilde."

In the shock of nearly getting mauled, Nanoha had forgotten what she was there for, but it all came back to her as Carim settled herself in the high chair behind the altar and fixed Nanoha with her penetrating, light-blue stare. Before Carim could speak another word, however, the chapel doors flew open with an almighty bang and Nel trotted in, a wild look in her eyes, her hair flying everywhere and a bottle of painkiller clutched tightly in her hands.

"It wasn't Nanoha Takamachi, Carim Gracia!" said Nel urgently. "I was talking to her _seconds_ before that student was found, she never had time, Headmistress – " Carim tried to say something, but Nel went ranting on, not even aware of Asteion staring hungrily at her legs. " – It can't have been her, I'll swear it in front of the Time-Space Administration Bureau if I have to – "

"Nelliel, I – "

" – you've got the wrong girl, Carim Gracia, I _know _ Nanoha Takamachi would never – "

"_Miss Odelschwanck!_" said Carim loudly. "Relax. I do _not _think that Nanoha attacked those people."

"Oh," said Nel, her face flushed with embarrassment. "Right. I'll wait outside then, Headmistress."

And she scampered out of the chapel; Asteion whimpered disappointedly.

"You don't think it was me, Carim-Sama?" Nanoha repeated hopefully.

"No, Nanoha, I don't," said Carim, though her face was somber again. "But still want to talk to you." Nanoha waited nervously while Carim considered her, the tips of her fingers together. "I must ask you, Nanoha, whether there is anything you'd like to tell me. Anything at all."

Nanoha didn't know what to say. She thought of Yuri shouting "You'll be next half-breeds!" and of the Polymorph Compound chilling in the Midnight Tower. The she thought of the disembodied voice she had heard twice and remembered what Raising Heart had said: _"Hearing voices no one else can hear is not a good sign, even in the magical world." _She thought, too, about what everyone was saying about her, and her growing dread that she was somehow connected with Nachtwal…

"No," said Nanoha. "There isn't anything…"

* * *

The double attack on Lisanna and Captain Hitsugaya turned what had hitherto been nervousness into real panic. Curiously, it was Captain Hitsugaya's fate that seemed to worry people most. What could possibly defeat two captain level Shinigami? People asked each other. There was almost a stampede to book seats on the _Arthra _so that students could go home for Saint King's Day. On the day of departure, Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate sadly waved good-bye to Teana and Subaru, promising to tell them everything when they came back.

"At this rate, we'll be the only ones left," Hayate told Nanoha and Fate. "Us, Yuri, and the Florian Twins. What a jolly holiday that's going to be."

Amitie and Kyrie Florian, who always did whatever Yuri did, had signed up to stay over the holidays, too. But Nanoha was glad that most people were leaving. She was tired of people skirting around her in the hallways, as though she was about to sprout fangs or spit poison; tired of all the muttering, pointing, and hissing as she passed.

Agito and Rein, however, found all this very funny. They went out of their way to march ahead of Nanoha down the hallways, shouting, "Make way for the Heir of Nachtwal, seriously evil mage coming through…"

Signum was deeply disapproving of this behavior.

"It is _not _a laughing manner," she said coldly.

"Oh, get out of the way, Signum," said Agito. "Nanoha's in a hurry."

"Yeah, she's off to the Tomb of Shadows for a cup of tea with her monster minions," said Rein, chortling.

Vita didn't find it amusing either. As opposed to torturing Nanoha like she had done countless times at the orphanage, Vita had made an effort to avoid even looking Nanoha in the eyes and often yelled every time Agito asked Nanoha loudly who she was planning to attack next, or when Rein pretended to ward Nanoha off with a large clove of garlic when they met. Nanoha was certain that Vita didn't think she was the Heir of Nachtwal, but she didn't like it when people talked about it.

Not that Nanoha minded; it made her feel better that Agito and Rein, at least, thought the idea of her being Nachtwal's heir was quite ludicrous. But their antics seemed to be aggravating Yuri Eberwein, who looked increasingly sour each time she saw them at it.

"It's because she's _bursting_ to say it's really her," said Hayate knowingly. "You know how she hates anyone beating her at anything, and you're getting all the credit for her dirty work."

"Not for long," said Fate in a satisfied tone. "The Polymorph Compound's nearly ready. We'll be getting the truth out of her any day now."

* * *

At last the term ended, and a silence deep as the lake descended on the church. Nanoha found it peaceful, rather than gloomy, and enjoyed the fact that she, Fate, and the Yagamis had the run of Kaiser Tower, which meant they could play a game of billiards in peace or try, and fail, the beat Fate in a duel. Agito, Rein, and Vita had chosen to stay at school rather than visit friends with Shamal and Zafira. Signum, who disapproved of what she termed their childish behavior, didn't spent much time in the Kaiser common room. She had already told them pompously that _she _was only staying over Saint King's Day because it was her duty as a Knight to support the teachers during this troubled time.

Saint King's Day morning dawned. Nanoha and Hayate were rudely awakened very early by Fate, who was fully dressed and carrying presents for both of them.

"Wake up," she said loudly, pulling back the curtain at the window.

"Go away, Fate – it's too early for this – " moaned Hayate, pulling the blanket over her head.

"Happy Saint King's Day to you, too," said Fate, throwing her presents on the bed. "I've been up for nearly an hour, taking a sample of the Polymorph Compound to mother's office. She says it's perfect."

Nanoha sat up, suddenly awake.

"So it's ready then?"

"Absolutely," said Fate, shifting Pabu the ferret so that she could sit down on the end of Hayate's canopy bed. "If we're going to do it, I say it should be tonight."

At the moment, Lucy fluttered into the room, carrying a very small package in her tiny hands.

"Hello," said Nanoha happily as she landed on her bed. "Are you speaking to me again?"

She nuzzled against her owner's cheek in an affectionate sort of way, which was a far better present than the one that she had brought, which turned out to be from the Henkens. They had sent Nanoha a toothpick and a note telling her to find out whether she'd be able to stay at St. Hilde for the holidays at the end of the year, too."

The rest of Nanoha's Saint King's Day presents were far more satisfactory. Schach had sent her a large tin of homemade brownies, which Hayate had tried to swipe multiple times; Caro and Erio made her a beautiful silver necklace she could use to carry Raising Heart; Hayate had given her a book called _Blazing with Belka_, a book of interesting facts about her favorite Riot Force team, and Fate had also bought her a book about Brave Duel called _Dueling for Dummies_. The title was a little offensive, but she liked it anyway. Nanoha opened her last present to find a new, hand-knitted vest from Shamal and a large cherry cobbler. She read her card with a fresh surge of guilt, thinking about the Batmobile (which hadn't been seen since its crash with the Senju Sugi), and the bout of rule-breaking she and Hayate were planning next.

* * *

No one, not even someone dreading taking the Polymorph Compound later, could fail to enjoy Saint King's Day dinner at St. Hilde.

The Great Hall looked magnificent. Not only were there a dozen large trees decorated in colorful ornaments and millions of mini-sun lanterns with a rainbow of thick flower-covered streamers crisscrossing the ceiling, but millions of tiny diamonds glittered the enchanted ceiling to look like stars. Carim led them in a few of her favorite carols, Schach boomed more and more loudly with every glass of eggnog she consumed. Signum, who hadn't noticed that Agito had switched her Knight badge for one that read "Knit-wit," kept asking them all what they were sniggering at. Nanoha didn't even care that Yuri Eberwein was making loud, snide remarks about her new vest from the Material table. With a bit of luck, Yuri would be getting her comeuppance in a few hours.

Nanoha and Hayate had barely finished their third helping of dumplings when Fate ushered them out of the hall to finalize their plans for the evening.

"We still need a bit of the people we're changing into," said Fate matter-of-factly, as though they were going to the supermarket for laundry detergent. "And obviously, it'll be best if we can get something of Amitie and Kyrie's; they're Yuri's best friends, she'll tell them anything. And we also need to make sure the real Amitie and Kyrie can't burst in on us while we're interrogating her."

"**And how do you plan to do that?**" asked Raising Heart.

"**We've worked it all out,**" said Bardiche as Fate held up two plump chocolate cupcakes. "**Sir has filled these with a simple Sleeping Draught. All we have to do is make sure that the Florian Twins find them. If our analysis is correct, they have a bit of a sweet tooth and will get greedy, thereby taking up the chance to consume them. Once they are asleep, you will pull out a few of their hairs, drag them into the supply closet, and take their Barrier Jackets and Devices.**"

"Why would we need their Barrier Jackets and Devices?" asked Nanoha.

"Yuri would be suspicious if Amitie suddenly showed up in a white dress with Raising Heart," said Fate like it was the most obvious thing in the world, which, Nanoha admitted, it was. "Now the problem remains is who the third person will be."

"I've already taken care of that," Hayate boasted, brandishing a small tube with a single hair inside it. "Remember when Larxene Éclair was wrestling Tea during the Brave Duel club. Tea found this on her jacket and gave it to me before she left for the holidays. Larxene is away for Saint King's Day, so I'll just tell the Materials I've decided to come back."

"But what about Hayate's wheelchair?" asked Nanoha.

"**The Polymorph Compound alters the subject at the genetic level,**" said Bardiche. "**Lady Yagami will be able to move the same as the person she is imitating.**"

"Too bad it's only temporary," said Hayate. "Do you know how long I waited to kick Yuri in the butt?"

* * *

Nanoha and Fate carried out the first stage of the operation, which went just as smoothly as they had predicted. They lurked in the deserted entrance hall after dessert, waiting for the Florian Twins who had remained alone at the Material table, shoveling down fourth helpings of pudding – _How are they so thin?_ Nanoha wondered jealously. Fate had perched the chocolate cupcakes on the end of the banisters. When they spotted the Florian Twins coming out of the Great Hall, Nanoha and Fate hid quickly behind a suit of armor next to the front door.

"**There is stupid and then there is those two,**" Raising Heart whispered as Kyrie gleefully pointed out the cupcakes to her sister and grabbed them. Grinning stupidly, they stuffed the cupcakes whole into their mouths. For a moment, both of them chewed greedily, looks of triumph on their faces. Then, without the smallest change of expression, they both keeled over backward onto the floor.

By far the hardest part was hiding them in the closest across the hall. One they were safely stowed among the buckets and mops, Nanoha and Fate striped them down to their underwear and plucked a few hairs from their head; Fate had to take a few minutes to settle her alleged chronic nosebleed. Then, still stunned at what they had just done, they sprinted up to the Midnight Tower.

They could hardly see for the thick black smoke issuing from the center of the chamber which Hayate was stirring the pot. Pulling their sleeves over their noses, they moved closer to the bubbling, glutinous mixture. Hayate looked close to tear, being the closest to the foul-smelling chemicals. Nanoha noticed that Hayate had already changed into an outfit similar to the one Larxene usually wore – her cosplay skills really came in hand this time.

"Did you get them?" Hayate asked breathlessly. Nanoha showed her Amitie's hair. "Good. You're gonna want to get changed before you change into them – you might rip up your Barrier Jackets in mid-transformation."

Nanoha and Fate went to opposite sides of the chamber, making sure not to look while the other was changing. What they failed to realize was that Hayate, wearing a very perverted grin, took some secret panty shots while they weren't looking – they should have known better than to trust her. When they had finished, the three of them stared into the pot. Close up, the mixture looked like thick, dark mud, bubbling sluggishly.

"Everything's been done according to instruction," said Fate, rereading the splotched page of _Crafty Chemical Creations_. "It looks like the book says it should…once we've drunk it, we'll have exactly one hour before we change back into ourselves."

"Now what?" Hayate whispered.

"We separate it into three glasses and add the hairs."

Fate ladled large dollops of the mixture into each of the glasses. Then, her hand trembling, she dropped Kyrie Florian's hair into the first glass. The compound hissed loudly like a boiling kettle and frothed madly. A second later, it turned a sick sort of yellow.

"Urgh – essence of Kyrie," said Hayate, eyeing it with loathing. "Bet it tastes disgusting."

"Add yours, then," said Fate.

Nanoha dropped Amitie's hair into the middle glass and Hayate put Larxene's into the last one. Both glasses hissed and frothed; Amitie's turned the khaki color of a booger, Larxene's a dark, murky brown. All three stared at the glasses apprehensively, slowly taking one glass from the row. The compound was repugnant; it smelled like a mixture of rotting eggs, tuna juice, and a pair of Uncle Kenji's old socks.

"Well…cheers, I guess," said Nanoha nervously.

Pinching their noses, Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate gulped the compound down as quickly as they could. It tasted even worse than it smells; like bad sushi. Immediately, Nanoha's insides started writhing as though she had just swallowed live snakes – doubled up, she wondered whether she was going to be sick. Collapsing near the shattered mirror, Nanoha looked over to Fate, who was leaning against the wall for support, and Hayate, who had fallen out of her wheelchair underneath the shadow of the stairs.

Then a burning sensation spread rapidly from her stomach to the very ends of her finger and toes – next, bringing her gasping on her side, came a horrible melting feeling, as the skin all over her body bubbled like hot wax – and before her eyes, her hands began to grow, the fingers lengthening, the nails thinning – her shoulder stretched painfully and a prickling in the back of her head told her that her hair was growing longer– her chest was starting to swell –

"As suddenly as it had started, everything stopped. Nanoha lay face down on the stone-cold floor, listening to Secret sighing from the windows. With a little difficulty, she tried standing up, unknowingly leaning forward more than she needed to. So this is what it felt like to be Amitie. Why did her chest feel so heavy…Nanoha silently cried, knowing the answer.

"Are you two okay?" called Nanoha in Amitie's rough, forceful voice.

"Yeah," came the low, sultry sound of Kyrie from her right.

Nanoha turned over and stepped in front of the cracked mirror. Amitie stared back at her out of dull, deep-set eyes. Nanoha scratched her ear. So did Amitie. Fate stumbled over. They stared at each other. Except that she looked pale and shocked, Fate was indistinguishable from Kyrie, from the wavy-pink hair to the long, slender legs – Nanoha quickly looked away, red-faced.

"This is unbelievable," said Fate, approaching the mirror and prodding Kyrie's petite nose. "_Unbelievable._"

"We'd better get going," said Nanoha, looking at the watch on Amitie's wrist. "We've still got to find out where the Material common room is. I only hope we can find someone to follow…"

Fate, who had been gazing at Nanoha, said, "You don't know how bizarre it is to see Amitie _thinking_." She turned to the shadows under the stairs. "Hayate, we need to go – "

"I – I don't think I 'm going to come after all. You go on without me."

"Hayate, we know Larxene isn't the best choice for a look, but no one is going to know it's you – "

"No – really – I don't think I'll come. You two hurry, you're wasting time – "

Nanoha looked at Fate, bewildered.

"_That _looks more like Amitie," said Fate. "That's how she looks every time a teacher asks her a question."

"Hayate-Chan, are you okay?" asked Nanoha.

"Fine – I'm fine – go on – "

Nanoha looked at the watch. Five of their precious minutes had already passed.

"We'll meet you back here, all right?" she said.

Nanoha and Fate opened the door of the tower carefully, checked that the coast was clear, and set off. They went down the marble staircase. All they needed now was a Material that they could follow to the Material common room, but there was nobody around.

"Any ideas?" muttered Nanoha.

"The Materials always come up to breakfast from over there," said Fate, nodding at the entrance to the lower levels. The words barely left her mouth when a boy with spiky, black hair emerged from the entrance.

"Excuse me," said Fate, hurrying up to him. "We've forgotten the way to our common room."

"I think you might be a little confused," said the boy strangely. "_I'm_ in Hegemon."

He walked away, looking suspiciously back at them. Nanoha and Fate hurried down the stone steps into the darkness, their footsteps echoing particularly loudly as Amitie and Kyrie's feet hit the floor, feeling that this wasn't going to be as easy as they had hoped. The labyrinthine hallways were deserted. They walked deeper and deeper under the school, constantly checking their watches to see how much time they had left. After a quarter of an hour, just when they were getting desperate, they heard a sudden movement ahead.

"Ha!" said Fate excitedly. "There's one of them now!" The figure was emerging from a side room. As they hurried closer, however, their hearts sank. It wasn't a Material, it was Signum. "What are you doing down here?"

Signum looked affronted.

"That," she said stiffly, "is none of your business. It's Florian, isn't it?"

"Wh – oh, yeah," said Fate.

"Well, get off to your dormitories," said Signum sternly. "It's not safe to go wandering around dark halls these days, especially for younger students. I am a school Knight, so I have little fear of anyone attacking me."

A voice suddenly echoed behind Nanoha and Fate. Yuri Eberwein was strolling toward them, and for the first time in her life, Nanoha was pleased to see her.

"There you are," she drawled, looking at them. "Have you two been pigging out in the Great Hall all this time? It's amazing you two aren't the size of blimps. I've been looking all over for you; I want to show you something really funny." She glanced witheringly at Signum. "And what are you doing down here, Yagami?"

"You might want to show a little more respect to a school Knight, Eberwein," said Signum coolly, flashing her sword under Yuri's nose in the blink of an eye. "I don't like your attitude. I suggest you clean up your attitude before you cross me again."

Yuri sneered, pushed Signum's sword away, and motioned for Nanoha and Fate to follow her. Nanoha almost said something apologetic to Signum, but caught herself just in time. She and Fate hurried after Yuri, who said as they turned into the next hallway, "That Citrus Yagami – "

"Signum," Fate corrected automatically.

"Whatever," said Yuri. "I've noticed her sneaking around a lot lately. And I bet I know what she's up to. She thinks she's going to catch Nachtwal's heir single-handed." She gave a short, derisive laugh. Nanoha and Fate exchanged excited looks. Yuri paused by a stretch of damp stone wall with a large, square emerald. "What's the new password again?"

"Er – " said Nanoha.

"Oh, yeah – _pure-blood!_" said Yuri, not listening, and a stone door concealed in the wall slid open. Yuri marched through it, and Nanoha and Fate followed her.

The Material common room was a long, low underground room full of winding gears, hissing machines, and a ceiling from which round, blackish lamps were hanging on chains. A fire crackled inside an elaborately constructed furnace ahead of them, and several Materials were silhouetted around it in high-backed chairs.

"Wait here," said Yuri to Nanoha and Fate, motioning them to a pair of empty chars set back from the furnace. "I'll go get it – my mother's just sent it to me – " Wondering what Yuri was going to show them, Nanoha and Fate sat down, doing their best to look at home. Yuri came back a minute later, holding what looked like a news pad. She thrust it under Fate's nose. "That'll give you a laugh."

Nanoha saw Fate's eyes widen in shock. She read the report quickly. Gave a forced laugh, and handed it to Nanoha. It had been a report from the Daily News, and it said:

**INQUIRY AT THE TIME-SPACE ADMINISTRATION BUREAU**

Zafira Yagami, high-ranking member of the Wolkenritter unit, was today  
fined fifty thousand credits for the theft of Wayne Enterprises property.

Miss Dearche Eberwein, a governor of St. Hilde Academy of Magic, where  
the stolen property was last reported earlier this year, called today for  
Mr. Yagami's resignation.

"Yagami has brought the Bureau into dispute," Miss Eberwein told our  
reporter. "He is clearly unfit to protect our most valued officials and his  
suggestion for a Machlos Protection Act should be scrapped immediately."

Mr. Yagami was unavailable for comment, although his younger sister  
told reporters to clear off or she would set the household gremlins on them.

"Well?" said Yuri impatiently as Nanoha handed the pad back to her. "Don't you think it's funny?"

"Ha, ha," said Nanoha bleakly.

"Zafra Yagami loves Machlos so much she should snap his Device in half and go and join them," said Yuri scornfully. "You'd never know the Yagamis were pure-blooded, the way they behave – they aren't even related for Saint King's sake." Nanoha's – or rather, Amitie's – face contorted with fury. "What's up with you, Amitie?"

"Stomachache," Nanoha grunted.

"Well, go up to the hospital wing and give all those half-breeds a kick for me," said Yuri, snickering. "Especially that filth of a captain, Suì-Fēng. She's a disgrace to our House. A half-breed – in Material – if she had any decency, she would have killed herself off by now. You know, I'm surprised the Daily News hasn't reported all these attacks yet. I suppose Carim's trying to hush it all up. She'll be fired if it doesn't stop soon. Mother's always said Carim was the worst thing that's ever happened to this place. She loves half-breeds. A decent headmaster would never have let little shits like Haruno in."

Yuri started taking pictures with an imaginary camera and did a cruel but accurate impression of Sakura. "Takamachi, can I have your picture, Takamachi? Can I have your autograph? Can lick your boots, please, Takamachi?" she dropped her hands and looked at Nanoha and Fate. "What's the _matter _with you two?"

Far too late, Nanoha and Fate forced themselves to laugh, but Yuri seemed satisfied; perhaps the Florian Twins were always slow on the uptake.

"Little Saint King Takamachi, the half-breed's friend," said Yuri, spitting on the floor. "She's another one with no proper mage feeling, or she wouldn't go around with that jumped up Lancaster half-breed. And people think _she's_ the Heir of Nachtwal!" Nanoha and Fate waited with bated breath: Yuri was surely seconds away from telling them it was her – but then – "I _wish_ I knew who it _is_ – I could help them."

Fate's jaw dropped so that Kyrie looked even more clueless than usual. Fortunately, Yuri didn't notice, and Nanoha, thinking fast, said, "You must have some idea who's behind it all…"

"You know I haven't, Amitie, how many times do I have to tell you?" snapped Yuri. "And Mother won't tell me _anything_ about the last time the Tomb was opened either. Of course, it was thirty years ago, so it was before her time, but she knows all about it, and she says that it was all kept quiet and it'll look suspicious if I know too much about it. But I know one thing – last time the Tomb of Shadows was opened, a half-breed _died_. So I bet it's only a matter of time before one of them is killed this time…I hope it's Lancaster."

Nanoha was clenching Amitie's fist. Feeling that it would be a bit of a giveaway if Nanoha punched Yuri, Fate shot her a warning look and said, "Do you know if the person who opened the Tomb last time was caught?"

"Oh, yeah…whoever it was got expelled," said Yuri. "They're probably still in Gefängnis."

"Gefängnis?" said Nanoha, puzzled.

"Gefängnis _– the magical prison_, Amitie," said Yuri, looking at her in disbelief. "Honestly, if you were any slower, you'd be going backward." She shifted restlessly in her chair. "Mother says to keep my head down and let the Heir of Nachtwal get on with it. She says the church needs ridding of all the half-breed filth, but not to get mixed up in it. Of course, she's got a lot on her plate at the moment. You know the TSAB raided our manor last week?"

Nanoha tried to force Amitie's dull face into a loom of concern.

"Yeah…" said Yuri. "Luckily, they didn't find much. Mother's got some _very_ valuable Dark Arts stuff. But luckily, we've got our own secret chamber under the drawing-room floor – "

"Ho!" said Fate.

Yuri looked at her. So did, Nanoha. Fate blushed. Even her hair was becoming brighter. Her fingers were also getting smaller – their hours was up, Fate was turning back into herself, and from the look of horror she was suddenly giving Nanoha, she must be, too. They both jumped to their feet.

"Medicine for my stomach," Nanoha grunted, and without further ado they sprinted the length of the Material common room, hurled themselves at the stone wall, and dashed up the hallway, hoping against hope that Yuri hadn't noticed anything. Nanoha could feel her feet slipping around in Amitie's large boots and had to hold up her skirt as her slipped down her waist; they crashed up the steps into the dark entrance hall, where they came face-to-face with the underwear-clad Florian Twins. The twins and their doppelgangers stared at each other for a moment until Nanoha and Fate sprinted up the marble staircase up to the Midnight Tower, leaving the confused sisters behind.

"Well, it wasn't a total waste of time," Fate panted, closing the tower door behind them. "I know we still haven't found out who's doing the attack, but Hayate can write to Zafira tomorrow and tell him to check under the Eberwein's drawing room."

"Where is Hayate-Chan?" asked Nanoha, checking her face in the cracked mirror. She was back to normal. "Hayate-Chan, are you still – "

"Go away!" Hayate squeaked from under the stairs.

Nanoha and Fate looked at each other.

"What's the matter?" said Fate. "You must be back to normal by now, we are – "

But Secret popped in front of them suddenly in a puff of smoke. Nanoha had never seen her look so happy.

"Ooooooh, wait till you see," she said. "It's _awful_ – "

They heard something scuttling from underneath the stairs and they could see Hayate's eyes peering through the shadows.

"What's up?" said Fate uncertainly. "Have you still got Larxene's nose or something?"

"Fate…what does the book say about…animal transformations?" asked Hayate, sniffling.

"Well, the compound is only supposed to work for human transformations because…" said Fate slowly, realization dawning on her. "Oh no, please don't tell me…"

Hayate scurried from underneath the stairs – she _literally _scurried into the light. Nanoha and Fate bended down with wide eyes at Hayate Yagami, who was two feet tall covered in gray-and-black-stripped fur with a bushy tail and round ears, her usual chestnut-brown hair on her head with her favorite clips in them.

"It was r-raccoon hair!" she howled. "Larxene m-must have had a raccoon for some reasons! It's been over and h-hour and I haven't – haven't changed back yet!"

"**It seems oddly fitting though**," said Raising Heart as Nanoha put the necklace back on. Hayate's shot the Device an evil glare. "**You have to admit, it suits you.**"

"You'll be teased something _dreadful,_" said Secret happily.

"It's okay, Hayate," said Fate quickly. "We'll take you up to the hospital wing and call Mother, she'll think I was just using you for an experiment…"

It took a long time to persuade Hayate to leave the Midnight Tower. Secret sped them on their way with a hearty guffaw.

"Wait till everyone finds out you have a _tail_!"

* * *

**Ya-Hoo! I was so eager to write this chapter, I started typing immediately after I had posted the last one. I just wanted to write about little Hayate-Coon! And though Nanoha and her friends have gone backwards in their investigation, they can't say it hasn't been fun. Next chapter is a monumental step in discovering the secret of the Tomb of Shadows as Nanoha finds a hint from the past that could very well lead to the villain's true identity. Stay tuned for that.**


	13. The Very Secret Diary

**Nanoha and the Tomb of Shadows**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen: The Very Secret Diary**

Hayate remained in the hospital wing for several weeks. There was a flurry of rumors about her disappearance when the rest of the students arrived back from their Saint King's Day holidays, because of course everyone thought that she had been attacked. So many students filed past the hospital wing trying to catch a glimpse of her that Doctor Chopper took out his curtains again and placed them around Hayate's bed, to spare her the shame of being seen as a raccoon-girl.

Nanoha and Fate, along with Teana and Subaru, who had been told beforehand what had happened, went to visit her every evening. When the new term started, they brought her each day's homework.

"You'd think sprouting whiskers and a tail would be a good excuse to not do homework," said Hayate as Subaru tipped a stack of books onto her bedside table one evening.

"That's perfectly fine if you want to be held back a year," said Teana, looking over her furry friend. Hayate's condition had greatly improved by the fact that she had dropped the tail and the ears, but she still had the thieving stripes around her eyes. "I don't suppose you've got any new leads?"

"Nothing," said Nanoha gloomily.

"I was so _sure _it was Yuri," said Fate, for about the hundredth time.

"What's that?" asked Subaru, pointing to something gold sticking out of Teana's pocket.

"Oh, this?" said Teana hastily, trying to stuff it back in her pocket. "It's nothing – just a get well card someone wanted me to give to Hayate, it's not worth looking at."

But Subaru was too fast for her. She snatched the corner of the card, pulled it out, flicked it open, and read aloud:

"_To Miss Yagami, wishing you a speedy recovery, from your concerned teacher, Shūkurō Tsukishima, Order of the Saint Church, Level Three, Honorary Member of the Dark Side Defenders, and five-time winner of Sorcerer Weekly's Most-Charming Smile Award._"

The girls looked up at Teana, disgusted.

"**You were walking around with this in your pocket all day?**_**" **_said Raising Heart. "**You know it's sad when you steal someone's get well card.**"

But Teana was spared answering by Presea, who had arrived with Hayate's evening dose of reverse agent, the corners of her mouth twitching. When the others weren't looking, Teana had dashed out of the hospital wing and down the staircase.

"Is Tsukishima the slimiest jerk you've ever met or what?" Subaru ranted to Nanoha and Fate as they left the infirmary and started up the stairs toward Kaiser Tower. "I don't get what Tea sees in that creepy, bigheaded jazz player wannabe."

"Sounds to me like your jealous," said Fate knowingly.

"J-Jealous!" Subaru screamed, waving her arms frantically, her face going pink. "Why would I be jealous of him? I'm not jealous of him! I'm just – just looking out for my best friend! That it! Just looking out for Tea's sake!" she turned stiffly on her heels. "Hey, how about that homework? It's not gonna finish itself, you know!"

She dashed on ahead to the tower, not so subtly avoiding the question. But she wasn't wrong. Presea had given them so much homework, Nanoha thought she was likely to be in the sixth year before she finished it. Nanoha knew it would be pointless to ask Fate how much Chromium you were supposed add to a Hair-Raising Mixture, since Fate would never let her cheat, when an angry outburst from the floor above reached their ears.

"That's Lieutenant Matsumoto," Nanoha muttered as they hurried up the stairs and paused, out of sight, listening hard. "You don't think someone else has been attacked, do you?"

"It's hard to tell," said Fate tensely. "Lieutenant Matsumoto has been going hysterical since Captain Hitsugaya was attacked."

They stood still, their heads inclined towards Lieutenant Matsumoto's voice, which sounded very angry.

" – _get away with calling me a whore! That brat wouldn't know true beauty if it bit her in the butt! I wasn't even bothering her and she just attacks me out of nowhere! I don't have to put up with this – _"

Her footsteps receded along the out-of-sight hallway and they heard a distant door slam. They poked their heads around the corner. Lieutenant Matsumoto had clearly been assigned to lookout: they were once again on the spot where Captain Suì-Fēng had been attacked. They saw at a glance what Lieutenant Matsumoto had been shouting about. They barely saw the edge of Secret's hood flicker around the corner, slamming the door to the Midnight Tower behind her. Now that Lieutenant Matsumoto had stopped shouting, they could hear loud crashing echoing off the walls.

"_Now _what's up with her?" said Fate.

"Let's go and see," said Nanoha dashing over to the door that strictly said OUT OF BOUNDS, ignored it, as always, and entered.

Secret was screaming furiously, if possible, louder and harder than ever before. Nanoha and Fate barely ducked out of the way when she threw a dresser drawer at the wall next to them breaking it into splinters. She moved on to ripping the little remains of the tapestries hanging from the walls. It was dark in the tower, as the name implied, because the candles had been extinguished when Secret had ripped them off the wall and threw them at the mirror, showering the floor in glass shards.

"What's up, Secret?" said Nanoha.

"Who's that," growled Secret dangerously. "Come to throw something else at me?"

"Why would I throw something at you?" said Nanoha.

"Don't ask me," Secret shouted, popping in front of Nanoha with her usual smoke cloud; the girls coughed and waved the smoke away. "Here I am, minding my own business and someone thinks it's funny to throw a book at me…"

"But it can't hurt you if someone throws something at you," said Nanoha reasonably. "I mean, it'd just go right through you, wouldn't it?"

She had said the wrong thing. Secret grabbed her by the collar, lifted her feet off the ground, and shrieked, "Sure! Let's all throw books at Secret, because _she _can't feel it! Ten points if you get it through her stomach!" She kneed Nanoha in the gut. "Fifty points if it goes through her head!" She slapped Nanoha across the face, tossing her back on the ground. "Well, ha, ha, ha! What a lovely game, I _don't_ think! And for your information, I _can_ feel it!"

"Who threw it at you, anyway?" asked Fate, helping her friend up.

"_I _don't know…I was just sitting on the windowsill, thinking about death, and someone threw it right at my head," said Secret, glaring at them. "It's over there, I threw it earlier..."

Nanoha and Fate looked under the broken remains of what once was a chair where Secret was point. A small, thin book lay there. It had a shabby black cover and was covered in splinters. Nanoha stepped forward to pick it up, but Fate suddenly flung out an arm to hold her back.

"What?" said Nanoha.

"Are you crazy?" said Fate. "It could be dangerous."

"_Dangerous?_" said Nanoha, laughing. "Come on, how could it be dangerous?"

"You'd be surprised," said Fate, who was looking at the book. "There are some books throughout history that possesses some of the most sinister magic there is. Mother told me that. Like the Book of Darkness, which devoured hundreds of magic filled world back in ancient times. And then there's the most famous book of Dark Magic, the Book of Zeref, which is said to possess all knowledge of the Black Wizard, Zeref, including Black Dragon Curse. Then there's – "

"Al right, I've got the point," said Nanoha. The little book lay on the floor, nondescript. "Well, we won't find out unless we look at it."

She ducked around Fate and picked it up off the floor. Nanoha saw at once that it was a dairy, and the faded year on the cover told her it was thirty years old. She opened it eagerly. On the first page she could just make out the name of "N.C. Stroder" in smudged ink.

"Hold on," said Fate, who had approached cautiously and was looking over Nanoha's shoulder. "I know that name…N.C. Stroder got an award for special services to the church thirty years ago."

"How on Mid-Childa do you know that?" said Nanoha in amazement.

"I read it last year while we were waiting for Yuri to show up," said Fate. "You know, for that Brave Duel match she tricked us into going, but was really a trap? I was bored waiting for her to show up that I memorized every plaque in the trophy room."

Nanoha peeled the pages apart. They were completely blank. There wasn't even the faintest trace of writing on them, not even _Auntie Mabel's birthday,_ or_ dentist, half-past three._

"He never wrote in it," said Nanoha, disappointed.

"I wonder why someone wanted to throw it away?" said Fate curiously.

Nanoha turned to the back cover of the book and saw the printed name of a variety store in Munich, Bavaria.

"Bavaria's a state in Germany," said Nanoha thoughtfully. "He must have been a mage from Earth to have bought a dairy from Munich…"

"**Well, it's not much use to you, Master,**" said Raising Heart. She dropped her voice. "**Fifty points if you can get it through Secret's nose.**"

Nanoha, however, pocketed it.

* * *

Hayate left the hospital wing, de-whiskered, tailless, and fur-free, at the beginning of September. On her first evening back in Kaiser Tower, Nanoha showed her N.C. Stroder's diary and told her the story of how they found it.

"Ooh, it might have hidden powers," said Hayate enthusiastically, taking the dairy and looking at it closely.

"If it does, it's hiding them very well," said Subaru, leaning against her hand. "Maybe it's shy. I don't know why you don't throw it out, Nanoha-San."

"I wish I knew why someone _did _try to throw it out," said Nanoha. "I wouldn't mind knowing how Stroder got an award for special services to the St. Hilde either."

"Could have been anything," said Hayate, weighing the dairy in her hand. "Maybe he got thirty S.T.A.R.s or saved a teacher from a rampaging dragon. Maybe he murdered Secret; that would have done everyone a…" She was looking at the date in the diary, her eyes wide with sudden inspiration. "Hey, guys, when did Yuri say the Tomb of Shadows was opened last time?"

"Around thirty years ago, I think," said Nanoha slowly.

"And _this_ diary is thirty years old, right?" said Hayate, tapping it excitedly.

"I know what you're thinking," said Teana, looking less enthusiastic than her friend. "We know the person who opened the Tomb last time was expelled thirty years ago, around the same time N.C. Stroder got an award for special services to the church. It wouldn't be too far-fetched to think that maybe Stroder had something to do with catching the Heir of Natchwal, maybe knew who it was and what kind of monsters were in the Tomb. Stroder could have written everything in his diary, but there is one problem: _there's nothing written in it._"

"Maybe it's in invisible ink?" Hayate suggested.

"Already thought of that," said Fate, disappointed. "I tried everything from Revealers, Exposure Elixirs, Truth Serums, and I even borrowed the Lens of Truth from my friend Link in Hegemon. Nothing showed up.

"I'm telling you, there's nothing to find in there," said Subaru. "Stroder just got a diary for Saint King's Day and never bothered to write anything in it."

* * *

Nanoha couldn't explain, even to herself, why she didn't just throw Stroder's diary away. The fact was that even though she _knew _the diary was blank, she kept absentmindedly picking it up and turning the pages, as though it were a story she wanted to finish. And while Nanoha was sure she had never heard the name N.C. Stroder before, it seemed to mean something to her, almost as though Stroder was a friend she'd had when she was very small, and had half-forgotten. But this was absurd. She'd never had friends before St. Hilde, Kenta made sure of that.

Nevertheless, Nanoha was determined to find out more about Stroder, so next day at break, she headed for the trophy room to examine Stroder's special award, accompanied by an interested Fate and a thoroughly unconvinced Hayate, who had told them she had seen enough of the trophy room to last her a lifetime.

Stroder's burnished gold shield was tucked away in the corner cabinet. It didn't carry details of why it had been given to him (Good thing, too, or it'd be even bigger and I'd still be polishing it," said Hayate). However, they did find Stroder's name on an old Medal for Magical Merit, and on a list of old Lady Saints – Stroder was apparently a girl.

"She sounds like Signum," said Hayate, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Knight, Lady Saint…probably top of every class – "

"You say that like it's a bad thing," said Fate, pouting cutely

_Kawaii x 10_ thought Nanoha and Hayate.

* * *

The sun had now begun to shine weakly on St. Hilde again. Inside the church, the mood had grown more hopeful. There had been no more attacks since those of Lisanna and Captain Hitsugaya, and Hashirama-Sensei was pleased to report that the Mandrakes were becoming moody and secretive, meaning they were fast leaving childhood.

"The moment their acne clears up, they'll be ready for repotting again, Nanoha heard him telling Lieutenant Matsumoto and Lieutenant Ōmaeda kindly one afternoon. "And after that, it won't be long until we're cutting them up and stewing them. You'll have your captains back in no time."

Perhaps the Heir of Nachtwal had lost his or her nerve, thought Nanoha. It must be getting riskier and riskier to open the Tomb of Shadows, wth the church so alert and suspicious. Perhaps the monsters, whatever they were, were even now settling themselves down to hibernate for another thirty years…

Soul Evens of Hades didn't take this cheerful view. He was still convinced that Nanoha was the guilty one, that she had "given herself away" at the Brave Duel Club. Loki was helping matters; he kept popping up in the crowded hallways singing "Naughty Nanny" now with a dance routine to match. Shūkurō Tsukishima seemed to think he himself had made the attacks stop. Nanoha overheard him telling Linith-Sensei so while the Kaisers were lining up for Alchemy.

"I don't think there'll be any more trouble, Linith," he said, tapping his nose knowingly and winking. "I think the Tomb had been locked for good this time. The culprit must have known it was only a matter of time before I caught him. Rather sensible to stop now, before I came down hard on him. You know, what the school needs now is a morale-booster. Wash away the memories of last term! I won't say any more just now, but I think I know just the thing…"

He tapped his nose again and strode off. Tsukishima's idea of a morale-booster became clear at breakfast time a week later. Nanoha hadn't had much sleep because of a late-running Riot Force practice the night before, and she hurried down to the Great Hall, slightly late. She opened the door, blinked, closed the doors, waiting a full minute, and then opened them again. She thought, for a moment, that she had walked through the wrong doors.

The walls were all covered with large, lurid pink flowers. Worse still, heart-shaped confetti was falling from the pale blue ceiling. Nanoha went over to the Kaiser table, where Hayate was sitting looking sickened, Subaru was trying to scoop hearts out of her cereal, Fate looked mortified, and Teana couldn't stop smiling.

"What's going on?" Nanoha asked them, sitting down and wiping confetti off her bacon.

Hayate pointed to the teachers' table, apparently too disgusted to peak. Tsukishima, wearing a god-awful combination of red suspender and a pink shirt, was waving for silence. The teachers on either side of him were looking stony-faced. From where she sat, Nanoha could see a muscle going in Linith-Sensei's cheek. Presea looked as though someone had just fed her a large beaker of Lizard Juice.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Tsukishima shouted.

"Valentine's Day?" Nanoha repeated, confused. "It's the middle of September, or is this some Mid-Childa holiday, too?"

"**No, it is not,**" said Raising Heart. "**One hundred credits say he's doing this to get closer to little girls – the sick freak.**"

"I just want to start off by thanking the forty-six people who have sent me card!" said Tsukishima. "Yes, I've taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all – and it doesn't end!"

Tsukishima clapped his hands and through the doors to the entrance hall marched a dozen surly-looking dwarfs. Not just any dwarfs, however. Tsukishima had them all wearing golden wings and carrying harps.

"My friendly, card-carry cupids!" beamed Tsukishima. "They will be roving around the church today delivering your valentines! And the fun doesn't stop here! I'm sure my colleagues will want to enter the spirit of the occasion! Why not ask Presea-Sensei to show you how to whip up a love potion! And while you're at it, Professor Stein knows more about Entrancing Enchantments than any mage I've ever met, you sly dog!"

Professor Stein was sharping his scalpels as he said that. Presea was looking as though the first person to ask her for a love potion would be force-fed poison.

"Please, Tea, tell me you weren't one of the forty-six," said Subaru as they left the Great Hall for their first lesson.

Teana suddenly became very interested in searching her bag for her schedule and didn't answer. All day long, the dwarfs kept barging into their classes to deliver valentines, to the annoyance of the teachers, and late that afternoon as the Kaiser's were walking upstairs for Mana class, one of the dwarfs caught up with Nanoha.

"Oy, you! Nanoha Takamachi!" shouted a particularly grim-looking dwarf, elbowing people out of the way to get to Nanoha.

Hot all over at the thought of being given a valentine in front of a line of first years, which happened to include Vita Yagami, Nanoha tried to escape. The dwarf, however, cut his way through the crowd by kicking people's shins, and reached her before she had gone two paces.

"I've got a musical message to deliver to Nanoha Takamachi in person," he said, twanging his harp in a threatening sort of way.

"_Not here,_" Nanoha hissed, trying to escape.

"Stay _still_!" grunted the dwarf, grabbing hold of Nanoha's bag and pulling her back.

"Let me go!" Nanoha snarled, tugging.

With a loud ripping noise, her bag split in two. Her books, notes, eraser, and writing utensils spilled onto the floor and one of her pens snapped on the floor, spilling ink over everything. Nanoha scrambled around, trying to pick it all up before the dwarf started singing, causing something of a holdup in the hallway.

"What's going on here?" came the cold, drawling voice of Yuri Eberwein. Nanoha started stuffing everything feverishly into her ripped bag, desperate to get away before Yuri could hear her musical valentine.

"What's all the commotion?" said another familiar voice as Signum Yagami arrived.

Losing her head, Nanoha tried to make a run for it, but the dwarf seized her around the knees and brought her crashing to the floor.

"Right," he said, sitting on Nanoha's ankles. "Here's your musical valentines:

_Her eyes are as blue as the endless blue sea,  
Her hair is a light as freshly brewed tea  
I wish she was mine, she's really Divine  
The hero who conquered the Dark Queen_

Nanoha would have given all the credits in her Reichtum account to evaporate on the spot. Trying valiantly to laugh along with everyone else, she got up, her feet numb from the weight of the dwarf, as Signum Yagami did her best to disperse the crowd, some of whom were crying with mirth. And when that didn't work, she started swinging her sword around.

"Off you go, off you go, the bell rang five minutes ago, off to class, now," she said, shooing some of the younger students away. "_And _you, Eberwein – "

Nanoha, glancing over, saw Yuri stoop and snatch something. Leering, she showed it to the Florian Twins, and Nanoha realized that she had gotten Stroder's diary.

"Give that back," said Nanoha quietly.

"Wonder what Takamachi's written in this?" said Yuri, who obviously hasn't noticed the year on the cover and thought she had Nanoha's own diary. A hush fell over the onlookers. Vita was staring from the diary to Nanoha, looking terrified.

"Hand it over, Eberwein," said Signum sternly.

"When I've had a look," said Yuri, waving the diary tauntingly at Nanoha.

Signum said, "As a school Knight – " but Nanoha had lost her temper. She swung Raising Heart at Yuri and shouted, "**Axel Shooter!**" and just as Presea had blasted Tsukishima off his feet, so Yuri found herself on the floor, the diary shooting out of her hand into the air. Hayate, grinning broadly, caught it.

"Nanoha!" said Signum loudly. "No magic in the hallways. I'll have to report this, you know!"

But Nanoha didn't care, he was one-up on Yuri, and that was worth five points from Kaiser any day. Yuri was looking furious, and as she walked past Fate on the way downstairs, she yelled spitefully at her, "I don't think Takamachi like your – " Fate smacked her across the face with Bardiche before she could finish, her face pink. Teana and Hayate were shooting knowing looks at Fate, who had quickly dashed into the Mana classroom, but Nanoha and Subaru were still scratching their heads, wondering what was up with their friends.

It wasn't until they had entered Professor Stein's class that Nanoha noticed something rather odd about Stroder's diary. All her other books were drenched in scarlet ink. The diary, however, was as clean as it had been before the ink pen had spilled all over it. She tried to point this out to Fate, but Fate jumped the moment she touched her shoulder and refused to look at her for the rest of the day. Hayate sighed at Nanoha's clueless expression.

* * *

Nanoha went to bed before anyone else in her dormitory that night. This was partly because she didn't think she could stand Agito and Rein singing, "Her eyes are as blue as the endless blue sea" one more time, and partly because she wanted to examine Stroder's diary again, and knew the others thought she was wasting her time.

Nanoha sat in her canopy bed and flickered through the blank pages, not one of which had a trace of scarlet ink on it. Then she pulled another pen out of her bedside cabinet, and made a small scribble in the corner of the first page of the diary. The ink shone brightly on the paper for a second and then, as though it was being sucked into the page, vanished. Excited, Nanoha wrote "My name is Nanoha Takamachi."

The words shone momentarily on the page and they, too, sank without a trace. Then, at last, something happened. Oozing back out of the page, in her very own ink, came words Nanoha had never written.

"_Hallo, Nanoha Takamachi. Mein name is Nette Stroder. How did you come by mein diary?_"

These words, too, faded away, but not before Nanoha had started scribbling back.

"Someone tried to throw it out a window."

She waited eagerly for Nette's reply.

"_Lucky that I recorded mein memories in some more lasting way than ink. But I always knew that there would be those who would not want this diary read._"

"What do you mean?" Nanoha scrawled, blotting the page in her excitement.

"_I mean that this diary holds memories of terrible things. Things that were covered up. Things that happened at St. Hilde Academy of Magic._"

"That's where I am now," Nanoha wrote quickly. "I'm at St. Hilde, and horrible stuff's been happening. Do you know anything about the Tomb of Shadows?"

Her heart was hammering. Nette's reply came quickly, her writing becoming untidier, as though she was hurrying to tell all she knew.

"_Of course I know about the Tomb of Shadows. In mein day, they told us it was a legend, that it did not exist. But that was a lie. In mein fifth year, the Tomb was opened and the monsters attacked several students, finally killing one. I caught that person who had opened the Tomb and she was expelled. But the Headmistress, Crowbel-Sama, ashamed that such a thing had happened at St. Hilde, forbade me to tell the truth. A story was given out that the girl had died in a freak accident. They gave a nice, shiny, engraved trophy for my trouble and warned me to keep mein mouth shut. But I knew it could happen again. The monsters were never killed, and the one who had the power to release them was not imprisoned._"

"It's happening again now. There have been three attacks and no one seems to know who's behind them. Who was it last time?"

"_I can show you, if you like. You don't have to take mein word for it. I can take you inside my memory of the night when I caught her._"

Nanoha hesitated, her pen suspended over the diary. What did Nette mean? How could she be taken inside somebody else's memory? She glanced nervously at the door to the dormitory, which was growing dark. Nanoha sat there, thinking long and hard on what her answer would be and then wrote two letters.

"OK."

The pages of the diary began to blow as though caught in a high wind, stopping halfway through the month of January. Mouthing hanging open, Nanoha saw that the little square of January 13th seemed to have turned into a miniscule television screen. Her hands trembling slight, she raised the book to press her eye against the little window, and before she knew what was happening, she was tilting forward; the window was widening, she felt her body leave her bed, and she was pitched headfirst through the opening in the page, into a whirl of color and shadow.

She felt her feet hit solid ground, and stood, shaking, as the blurred shapes around her came suddenly into focus. She knew immediately where she was. The large cathedral with beautifully painted walls and ceiling was Carim's office – but it wasn't Carim who was sitting behind the altar. A wizened, frail-looking woman, her violet hair losing its sheen, was reading a letter by candlelight. Sitting on either side of her were two large snow leopards, neither of which were Asteion. Nanoha had never seen this woman before.

"I'm sorry," she said shakily. "I didn't mean to butt in – " But the woman didn't look up. She continued to read, frowning slightly. Nanoha drew closer to the altar and stammered, "Er – should I just go then?" still the woman ignored her. She didn't seem even to have heard her. Thinking the woman might be daf, Nanoha raised her voice. "Sorry I disturbed you. I'll go now."

The woman folded up the letter with a sigh, glancing up at the statue of Olivie and the child, and twiddled her thumbs impatiently, watching the door, her pet snow leopards yawning tiredly. Nanoha looked around the chapel. No Asteion the Snow Leopard – no shelves of whirling silver contraptions. This was St. Hilde as Nette had known it, meaning that this unknown woman was the Headmistress, not Carim, and she, Nanoha, was little more than a phantom, completely invisible to the people of thirty years ago. There was a knock on the chapel doors.

"Enter," said the old woman in a feeble voice. A girl of about sixteen entered, a silver Knight's badge was glinting on her chest. She was much taller than Nanoha and she had long, silky, midnight-black hair. She was very beautiful. "Ah, Stroder."

"You wanted to see me, Crowbel-Sama?" said Nette, an authentic German Earth accent in her voice.

"Sit down," said Crowbel. "I've just been reading the letter you sent me." Nette was gripping her hands together nervously. "My dear girl, I cannot possibly let you stay at the church over the holidays. Surely you want to go home during that time?"

"No," said Nette at once. "I'd much rather stay at St. Hilde than go back to that – to that – "

"You live in an orphanage on a Non-Administrated World during the holidays?" said Crowbel curiously. "Earth, I believe."

"Ja, ma'am," said Nette, reddening slightly.

"You are half-blood?"

"Ja, ma'am," said Nette. "Machlos father, mage mother."

"And both your parents – ?"

"Mein mother died just after I was born, ma'am. They told me at the orphanage she lived just long enough to name me – Nette after the river of her hometown, Churst after her maiden name."

"The thing is, Nette," Crowbel sighed sympathetically, "special arrangements might have been made for you, but in the current circumstances…"

"You mean all these attacks, ma'am?" said Nette, and Nanoha's heart leapt. And she moved closer, scared of missing something.

"Precisely," said the headmistress. "My dear girl, you must see how foolish it would be of me to allow you to remain at the church when term ends. Particularly in light of the recent tragedy…the death of young Greta Hayes…you will be safer by far at your orphanage. As a matter of fact, the Time-Space Administration Bureau is even now talking about closing the church. We are no closer locating the – er – source of all this unpleasantness…"

"Ma'am – if the person was caught – if it all stopped – "

"What do you mean?" said Crowbel with a hint of suspicion in her voice, sitting up in her chair. "Stroder, do you mean you know something about these attacks?"

"No, ma'am," said Nette quickly.

But Nanoha was sure it was the same "no" that she herself had given Carim. Crowbel sank back, looking faintly disappointed.

"You may go, Nette…"

Nette slid off her chair and slouched out of the room. Nanoha followed her. Up the moving spiral staircase they went, emerging next to the statue of the Saint King in the darkening entrance hall. Nette stopped, and so did Nanoha, watching her. Nanoha could tell that Nette was doing some serious thinking. She was biting her lip, her forehead furrowed. Then, as though she had suddenly reached a decision, she hurried off, Nanoha gliding noiselessly behind her. They were halfway across the hall when a noise coming from the marble staircase drew their attention. A young third year Kaiser with golden blonde hair and the brightest blue eyes was running toward them.

"Senpai! Wait, Nette-Senpai!" Nanoha gaped at the student. It was none other than a thirty-year-young Carim Gracia. "Nette-Senpai, I've been hearing rumors all over the church. Is it true that Greta-Chan was killed?"

"Ja, she was, her body was found in the Eastern Tower," said Nette.

"Oh no, poor Greta-Chan," said Carim, who was beginning to tear up. "She was always so lonely – I was hoping to talk to her tomorrow and see if she wanted to have lunch together. Does this mean that the other rumors are true? That the church is going to close down. I don't want that, Nette-Senpai. What if I never see you again?"

"Don't worry, Carim," said Nette, smiling and patting her head like a puppy. "I won't let anyone separate me from mein cute little junior. Now head on back to bed, little one, and tomorrow, I will teach you that Pyro Shooter Spell you've been asking me for months."

"Really?" said Carim, sparkles in her eyes. Nette laughed and nodded. "Okay, Nette-Senpai, I'll let you go for the night. See you in the morning."

And she strode off up the marble staircase. Nette watched her walk out of sight and then, moving quickly, headed straight down the stone steps to the lower levels, with Nanoha in hot pursuit. But to Nanoha's disappointment, Nette led her not into a hidden passageway or a secret tunnel but to the very room in which Nanoha had Scientific Research classes with Presea. The lights were out, and when Nette pushed the door almost closed, Nanoha could only just see her, standing stock-still by the door, watching the hallway outside.

It felt to Nanoha that they were there for at least an hour. All she could see was the figure of Nette at the door, staring through the crack, waiting like a statue. And just when Nanoha had stopped feeling expectant and tense and started wishing she could return to the present, she heard something move beyond the door. Someone was creeping along the hallway. She heard whoever it was pass the room where she and Nette were hidden. Nette, quiet as a shadow, edged through the door and followed. Nanoha tiptoeing behind her, forgetting that she couldn't be heard.

For perhaps five minutes they followed the footsteps, until Nette stopped suddenly, her head inclined in the direction of new noises. Nanoha heard a door creak open, and then someone speaking in a hoarse whisper.

"C'mon…gotta get you out of here…c'mon now…in the bow…"

"There was something familiar about that voice. Nette suddenly jumped around the corner. Nanoha stepped out behind her. She could see the dark outline of a tall girl who was crouching in front of an open door, a very large box next to it.

"Hallo, Nouera," said Nette sharply.

The girl slammed the door shut and stood up.

"What are you doing here, Nette-Senpai?"

"It's all over," said Nette, stepping closer. "I'm going to have to turn you in, Nouera. They're talking about closing St. Hilde if the attacks don't stop."

"What do you – "

"I don't think you meant to kill anyone. But monsters don't make very good pets. I suppose you just let it out for exercise and – "

"It never killed anyone!" said the tall girl, backing against the closed door. From behind her, Nanoha could hear a funny rustling and clicking.

"Come on, Nouera," said Nette, moving yet closer. "Greta Hayes' parents will be here tomorrow. The least St. Hilde can do is make sure that the thing that killed their daughter is slaughtered…"

"It wasn't her!" roared the girl, her voice echoing in the dark hallway. "She wouldn't! She never!"

"Stand aside," Nette commanded, throwing out her palm.

Her spell lit the hallway with a sudden flaming light. The door behind the tall girl flew open with such force it knocked her into the wall opposite. And out it came something that made Nanoha let out a long, ear-shattering scream unheard by anyone. A vast, low-slung, hairy body and a tangle of black legs; a gleam of many eyes and a pair of razor-sharp pincers – Nette raised her hand again, but it was too late. The thing bowled her over as it scuttled away, tearing up the hallway and out of sight. Nette scrambled to her feet, looking after it; she raised her hand, but the tall girl leapt on her, grabbing her arm, and threw her back down, yelling "NOOOOOOO!"

The scene whirled, the darkness became complete; Nanoha felt herself falling and, with a crash, she landed spread-eagle on her canopy bed in the Kaiser dormitory, Nette's diary lying open on her stomach. Before she had time to regain her breath, the dormitory door opened and Hayate was wheeled in by Fate.

"There you are," said Hayate.

Nanoha sat. She was sweating and shaking.

"What's up?" said, looking at her with concern.

"It was Schach, you guys. Schach opened the Tomb of Shadows thirty years ago."

"**DUN DUN DUN!**" said Bradiche; every stared. "**What? Raising Heart can make funny remarks and I can't?**"

"**It's all about timing,**" said Raising Heart proudly.

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN! The culprit is Schach Nouera! A shocking development in the story of Nanoha's journey to uncovering the truth of the Tomb of Shadows has appeared! And Carim just makes the most adorable kohai *hugs plushy Carim*! Has Schach returned to wreak havoc on the church once again, or is Nette Churst Stoder not telling the whole truth? Find out next week (or 2-3 days) for the next thrilling episode of Tomb – of – Shadows!**


	14. Admiral Largo Kiel

**Nanoha and the Tomb of Shadows**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen: Admiral Largo Kiel**

Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate had always known that Schach had an unfortunate liking for large and monstrous creatures. During their first years at St. Hilde she had tried to raise an Amethyst Drake in her little wooden shack, and it would be a long time before they forgot the giant Cerberus she had christened "Fifi". And if, as a young girl, Schach had heard that a monster was hidden somewhere in the church, Nanoha was sure she'd have gone to any lengths for a glimpse of it. She'd probably thought it was a shame that the monster had been cooped up for so long, and thought it deserved the chance to stretch its many legs; Nanoha could just imagine the thirteen-year-old Schach trying to fit a leash and collar on it. But she was equally certain that Schach would never have meant to kill anybody.

Nanoha half wished she hadn't found out how to work Nette's diary. Again and again Fate, Hayate, Teana, and Subaru made her recount what she'd seen, until she was heartily sick of telling them and sick of the long circular conversations that followed.

"Stroder _might _have got the wrong person," said Fate. "Maybe it was some other monster that was attacking people…"

"How many monsters do you think this place can hold?" Teana asked dully.

"We always knew Schach had been expelled," said Nanoha miserably. "And the attacks must have stopped after Schach was kicked out. Otherwise, Nette wouldn't have got her award."

"Stroder _does_ sound like Signum – who asked her to squeal on Schach, anyway," said Hayate.

"But the monster had _killed_ someone, Hayate-San," said Subaru.

"And Nette was going to go back to some Machlos orphanage on Earth if they closed St. Hilde," said Nanoha. "I don't blame her for wanting to stay here…"

"You met Schach down Silent Hill, didn't you, Nanoha?" Hayate asked.

"She was buying a sniper rifle to get rid of Deadpool," said Nanoha quickly.

"She might want to get a refund," said Teana, watching Schach blow up Deadpool's head, only for him to grow it back a second later.

The five of them fell silent. After a long pause, Fate voiced the knottiest question in a hesitant voice.

"Do you think we should go and _ask_ Schach about it all?"

"That would be a cheerful visit," said Hayate sarcastically. "Hello, Schach. Tell us, have you been setting anything insane and hairy loose in the church lately?"

In the end, they decided that they would not say anything to Schach unless there was another attack, and as more and more days went by with no whisper from the disembodied voice, they became hopeful that they would never need to talk to her about why she had been was now nearly four months since Lisanna and Captain Hitsugaya had their souls broken, and nearly everybody seemed to think that the attacked, whoever it was, had retired for good. Loki had finally got bored of his song and dance, Soul Evens asked Nanoha quite politely to pass a bucket of leaping toadstools in Environmental Studies, and in October several of the Mandrakes threw a loud and raucous party in greenhouse three. This made Hashirama-Sensei very happy.

"The moment they start trying to move into each other's pots, we'll know they're fully mature," he told Nanoha. "Then we'll be able to retrieve those poor people in the hospital wing."

* * *

The second years were given something else to think about during their autumn holidays. The time had come to choose their electives for the third year, a matter Fate, at least, took very seriously.

"It could affect our whole future," she told Nanoha and Hayate as they poured over lists of new subjects, marking them with checks. "I have to make sure I pick the best subjects if I want to become an Enforcer."

"Subaru's sister, Wendi, is an Enforcer, right?" said Nanoha. "What's an Enforcer exactly?"

"One of the toughest jobs there is," said Hayate. "You have to be ridiculously good in all your classes to even become an Enforcer Aid. Sounds right up Fate's alley."

"I just want to give up Scientific Research," said Nanoha.

"We can't," said Hayate gloomily. "We keep all our old subjects or I would have ditched Tactical Combat Instruction."

"But that's very important!" said Fate, shocked.

"Not the way Tsukishima teaches it," said Hayate. "I haven't learned anything from him except not to set fairies loose. I think Nanoha would be a better instructor than that idiot."

"**For some reason, I think I heard that somewhere before,**" said Raising Heart. "**Like something from an anime or something…**"

Subaru Nakajima had been sent letters from her five older sisters, all giving advce on what to choose. Confused and worried, she sat reading the subject lists with her tongue poking out, asking Teana whether she thought Arithmancy sounded more difficult than the study of Ancient Belka. Ben Tennyson, who, like Nanoha, had grown up with Machlos, ended up closing his eyes and jabbing his finger at the list, then picking the subject it landed on. Fate took nobody's advice but signed up for everything.

Nanoha smiled grimly to herself at the thought of what Uncle Kenji and Aunt Kurima would say if she tried to discuss her career in magic with them. Not that she didn't get any guidance: Signum Yagami was eager to share her experience.

"Depend where you want to _go_, Nanoha," she said. "It's never too early to think about the future, so I'd recommend Clairvoyance. People say Machlos Studies is a soft subject, but I personally think mages should have a thorough understanding of the non-magical community, particularly if they're thinking of working in close contact with them. Zafira handles dangerous beats all the time, so he went for Magical Zoology. Play to your strengths, Nanoha."

But the only thing Nanoha felt good at was Riot Force and blasting holes in walls. In the end, she chose the same new subjects as Hayate, feeling that if she was lousy at them, at least she'd have someone friendly to help her.

* * *

Kaiser's next Riot Force match would be against Hades. Terra was insisting on team practices every night after dinner, so that Nanoha barely had time for anything but Riot Force and homework. However, the training sessions were getting better, or at least drier, and the evening before Saturday's match she went up to her dormitory to drop off her stuff feeling Kaiser's chances for the Riot Force cup had never been better. Her cheerful mood didn't last long. At the top of the stairs to the dormitory, she met Subaru, who was looking frantic.

"Nanoha-San – I don't know who did it – I just found – "

Watching Nanoha fearfully, Subaru pushed open the door. The contents of Nanoha's closet had been thrown everywhere. Her cloths lay ripped on the floor. The bedclothes had been pulled off her canopy bed and the drawer had been pulled out of her bedside cabinet, the contents strewn over the mattress. Nanoha walked over to the bed, open-mouthed, treading on a few loose pages of _Tangle with the Tengu_. As she and Subaru pulled the blankets back onto her bed, Fate, Hayate, and Teana came in. Hayate swore loudly.

"What happened, Nanoha?"

"No idea," said Nanoha. But Fate was examining Nanoha's jackets. All the pockets were hanging out.

"Someone's been looking for something," said Fate. "Is there anything missing?"

Nanoha started to pick up all her things and throw them into her closet. It was only as she threw the last of the Tsukishima books back into it that she realized what wasn't there.

"Nette's diary is gone," she said aloud.

"_What?_"

"But that's impossible," said Teana. "Only a Kaiser could have stolen it – nobody else knows our password – "

"Exactly," said Nanoha.

* * *

They woke the next day to brilliant sunshine and a light, refreshing breeze.

"Perfect Riot Force conditions!" aid Terra enthusiastically at the Kaiser table, loading the team's plates with scrambled eggs. "Nanoha, buck up there, you need a decent breakfast."

Nanoha had been staring down the packed Kaiser table, wondering if the new owner of Nette's diary was right in front of her eyes. Teana had been urging her to report the robbery, but Nanoha didn't like the idea. She'd have to tell a teacher all about the diary, and how many people knew why Schach had been expelled thirty years ago? She didn't want to be the one who brought it all up. As she left the Great Hall with Fate, Hayate, Teana, and Subaru to go and collect her Riot Force things, another very serious worry was added to Nanoha's growing list. She had just set foot on the marble staircase when she heard it yet again –

"_Mata a este tiempo… tiempo para cazar… alabanza…_"

She shouted aloud and her friends jumped away from her in alarm.

"The voice!" said Nanoha, looking over her shoulder. "I just heard it again – didn't you?"

Hayate shook her head, wide-eyed, Fate looked at her strangely, and Subaru paled. Teana, however, clapped a hand to her forehead.

"Nanoha-San – I think I've just understood something! I've got to go to the library!"

And she sprinted away, up the stairs.

"_What_ does she understand?" said Nanoha distractedly; still looking around, trying to tell where the voice had come from.

"Loads more than I do," said Hayate, shaking her head. "But if she figured out…whatever she figured out…does that make her smart than Fa – OW! OW! OW!" Fate was squeezing Hayate's shoulder harder than necessary. "I was just joking – just joking!"

"Of course you were, Hayate," said Fate in a low, ominous voice.

Nanoha stood, irresolute, trying to catch the voice again, but people were now emerging from the Great Hall behind her, talking loudly, exiting through the front doors on their way to the Riot Force field.

"You'd better get moving, Nanoha-San," said Subaru. "It's nearly eleven – the match – "

Nanoha raced up to Kaiser Tower, collected her Riot Force uniform, and joined the large crowd swarming across the ground, but her mind was still in the church along with the bodiless voice, and as she pulled her snow-white garb in the locker room, her only comfort was that everyone was now outside to watch the match.

The teams walked onto the field to tumultuous applause. Terra Earthshaker took off a warm-up flight around the goal post; Corrado-Sensei released the playing objects. The Hades, who played in burning-red, was standing in a huddle, having a last-minute discussion of tactics. Nanoha had just summoned the Axel Fins to her feet when Linith-Sensei came half marching, half running across the field, carrying a large bullhorn. Nanoha's heart dropped like a stone.

"This match has been cancelled," Linith-Sensei called through the bullhorn, addressing the packed stadium. There were boos and shouts. Terra Earthshaker, looking devastated, landed and ran toward Linith-Sensei, tripping around the edge of the small crater he made.

"But, Sensei!" he shouted. "We've got to play – the cup – _Kaiser_ – "

Linith-Sensei ignored him and continued to shout through the bullhorn:

"All students are to make their way to the House common rooms, where their Heads of Houses will give them further information. As quickly as you can, please!" She lowered the bullhorn and beckoned Nanoha over to her. "Takamachi, I think you'd better come with me."

Wondering how she could possibly suspect her this time, Nanoha saw Fate and Subaru carting Hayate detect themselves from the complaining crowd; they came running up to them as they set off toward the church. To Nanoha's surprise, Linith-Sensei didn't object.

"Yes, perhaps you'd better come, too, Nakajima…"

Some of the students swarming around them were grumbling about the match being cancelled; other looked worried. Nanoha and the others followed Linith-Sensei back into the church and up the marble staircase. But they weren't taken to anybody's office this time.

"This will be a bit of a shock," said Linith-Sensei in a surprisingly gentle voice as they approached the infirmary. "There has been another attack…another _double _attack."

Nanoha's inside did a horrible somersault. Linith-Sensei pushed the door open and she, Fate, Hayate, and Subaru entered. Doctor Chopper was standing on a stool over a fifth-year for dark, spiky hair. Nanoha recognized him as the Hagemon they had accidentally asked for directions to the Material common room. And on the bed next to him was –

"_Tea!_" Subaru screamed, dashing over. Teana lay utterly still; her eyes white, her mouth open in shock, and the unmistakable gap in her chest.

They were found near the Infinity Library," said Linith-Sensei. "The area they were found was ripped apart just as the others were found – like they had been in some sort of battle. Do you know what they were doing there?" Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate shook their heads – Subaru was still in shock to respond. "I will escort you back to Kaiser Tower. I need to address the students in any case."

* * *

"All students will return to their House common rooms by six o'clock in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time. You will be escorted to each lesson by either a teacher or a Shinigami. No student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher or a Shinigami. All further Riot Force matches are to be postponed. There are no more evening activities."

The Kaisers packed in the common room listened to Linith-Sensei in silence. She rolled up the paper from which she had been reading and said in a somewhat choked voice," I need hardly add that I have rarely been so distressed. It is likely that the church will be closed unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught. I would urge anyone who thinks they might know anything about them to come forward."

She marched somewhat awkwardly through the archway, and the Kaisers began talking immediately.

"That's two Kaisers down, not counting a Kaiser Shinigami, one Hegemon, and one Hades," said the Yagami Twins' friend Anko Mitarashi, counting on her fingers. "Haven't _any_ of the teachers noticed that all the Materials are all safe? Isn't it _obvious_ all this stuff's coming from Material? The _Heir _of Natchwal, the_ army_ of Nachtwal – why don't they just throw all the Materials out?"

"But Captain Suì-Fēng was a Material and she was the first to be attacked," said Riku Dawn, to which everyone mumbled and nodded.

Signum Yagami was sitting in a chair behind Anko, but for once she didn't seem keen to making her views heard. She was looking pale and stunned.

"Signum's in shock," Rein told Nanoha quietly. "That Hegemon boy – Zack Fair – he was a Knight. I don't think she thought the monster would dare attack a _Knight_."

But Nanoha was only half listening. She didn't seem to be able to get rid of the picture of Teana, lying on hospital bed, limp and lifeless. And if the culprit wasn't caught soon, she was looking at a lifetime back with the Henkens. It might have sounded selfish, but she would have preferred to take on Nachtwal's army than go back to Earth. Nette Stroder had turned Schach in because she was faced with the prospect of a Machlos orphanage if the school closed. Nanoha now knew exactly how she had felt.

"What are we going to do?" said Fate quietly in Nanoha's ear, watching Hayate try to comfort the poor Nakajima girl. "Do you think they suspect Schach?"

"We've got to go and talk to her," said Nanoha, making up her mind. I can't believe it's her this time, but if she set the monster loose last time she'll know how to get inside the Tomb of Shadows, and that's a start."

"But Linith-Sensei said we've got to stay in our tower unless we're in class – "

"I think," said Nanoha more quietly still, "it's time to get my dad's old coat out again."

* * *

Nanoha had only inherited one thing from her father: four Black Coats that allowed one to blend into the shadows, making them almost invisible. These coats were once shared between her father and friends during their time in St. Hilde. Nanoha had given one to Fate, one to Hayate, and kept the last two for herself – he never thought of anyone who might need the spare. It was their only chance of sneaking out of the church to visit Schach without anyone knowing about it.

They went to bed at the usual time, waited until everyone else in Kaiser Tower had stopped discussing the Tomb of Shadows and finally went to their dormitories, then got up, dressed again, and Nanoha and Fate threw the coats over themselves. Hayate had chosen to stay behind to distract Subaru since her wheelchair made it impossible for her to wear the Black Coat anytime soon.

The journey through the dark and deserted church hallways wasn't enjoyable. Nanoha, who had wondered the church at night several times before, had never seen it so crowded after sunset. Teachers, Knights, and Shinigami were marching the hallways in pairs, staring around for any unusual activity. Their Black Coats didn't stop them from making any noise, and there was a particularly tense moment when Nanoha stubbed her toe only yards from the spot where Presea was standing guard. Thankfully, Presea sneezed at almost exactly the moment Nanoha swore. It was a relief that they reached the oak front doors and eased them open.

It was a clear, starry night. They hurried toward the lit windows of Schach's shack and pulled off their hoods only when they were right outside her front door. Seconds after they had knocked, Schach flung it open. They found themselves with their backs to the ground, Windenschaft pressing against their necks. Fried chirped from Schach's shoulder.

"Oh," she said, disabling her Device and staring at them. "What're you two doing here?"

"What was that for?" said Nanoha, touching their area when the tonfa-blade touched.

"Nothing – nothing – " Schach muttered. "I've been expecting – doesn't matter – sit down – I'll make tea – "

She hardly seemed to know what she was doing. She nearly extinguished the fire, spilling after from the kettle on it, and then smashed the teapot with a nervous jerk of her hands.

"Are you okay, Schach?" said Fate gently. "Where are Erio and Caro?"

"I – er – had them go the Belkan District for me," said Schach stiffly. "Had to pick up some ingredients for Nel's medicine – her headaches have been getting worse."

"Did you hear about Teana?" asked Nanoha.

"Oh, I heard, all right," said Schach, a slight break in her voice.

She kept glancing nervously at the windows. She poured them both large mugs of boiling water (she had forgotten to add tea bags) and was just putting a slab of fruitcake on a plate when there was a loud knock on the door. Schach dropped the fruitcake. Nanoha and Fate exchanged panic-stricken looks, then threw their hoods back on and retreated to the darkest corner of the shack. Schach checked that they were hidden, summoned Windenschaft, and flung open her door once more.

"Good evening, Schach."

It was Carim. She entered, looking deadly serious, and was followed by a second, very old man. The stranger was bald, wrinkled, and had a long, white beard with was twitching with an anxious expression, wearing a uniform Nanoha recognized as a TSAB-sanctioned admiral jacket.

"That's Largo Kiel!" Fate breathed. "He's one of the three Legendary Admirals and is on the TSAB High Council."

Nanoha elbowed Fate hard to make her shut up, which Fate responded by stomping her toes. Schach had gone pale and sweaty. She dropped into one of the chairs and looked from Carim to Largo Kiel.

"Bad business, Schach," said Admiral Kiel in a raspy, wheezing voice. "Very bad business. Had to come. Four attacks on half-bloods, two Captains unresponsive. Things have gone far enough. The TSAB must act."

"I never," said Schach, looking imploringly at Carim. "You know I never, Carim-Sama – "

"I want it understood, Largo, that Schach has my full confidence," said Carim, frowning at Largo.

"Look, Carim," said Admiral Kiel, uncomfortably. "Schach's record is against her. The Bureau's got to do something – the school governors have been in touch – "

"Yet again, Largo, I tell you that taking Schach away will not help in the slightest," said Carim. Her blue eyes were full of fire Nanoha had never seen before.

"Look at it from my point of view," said Admiral Kiel, fidgeting with jacket. "We are under a lot of pressure. Got to be seen to be doing something. We thought it was enough last time by putting the Output Limiter around her Linker Core. If it turns out it wasn't Schach, she'll be back and no more said. But I've got to take her. Got to. Wouldn't be doing my duty – "

"Take me?" said Schach, who was trembling. "Take me where?"

"For a short stretch only," said Admiral Kiel, not meeting Schach's eyes. "Not a punishment, Schach, more of a precaution. If someone else is caught, you'll be let out with a full apology – "

"Not Gefängnis?" croaked Schach.

Before Admiral Kiel could answer, there was another loud rap on the door. Carim answered it. It was Nanoha's turn for an elbow in the ribs; she'd let out and audible gasp. Lord Dearche Eberwein strode into Schach's shack, swathed in a long black traveling cloak, smiling a cold and satisfied smile. Fried started to growl, his nostrils flaming.

"Already here, Admiral," she said approvingly. "Good, good…"

"What are you doing here?" said Schach furiously. "Get out of my house!"

"My dear woman, please believe me, I have no pleasure at all in being inside your – er – do you call this a house?" said Lord Dearche, sneering as she looked around the small shack. "I simply called at the school and was told that the headmistress was here."

"And what exactly did you want with me, Lord Dearche?" said Carim. She spoke politely, but the fire was still blazing in her blue eyes.

"_Dreadful_ thing, Gracia," said Lord Dearche lazily, taking out a long roll of paper, "but the governors feel it's time for you to step aside. This is an Order of Suspension – you'll find all twelve signatures on it. I'm afraid we feel you're losing your touch. How many attacks have there been now? Two more this afternoon, wasn't it? At this rate, there will be no half-bloods left at St. Hilde, and we all know what an _awful_ loss that would be to the church."

"Oh, now, see here, Lord Dearche," said Admiral Kiel, looking alarmed, "Carim suspended – no,no – last thing we want just now – "

"The appointment – or suspension – of the headmaster is a matter for the governors, Admiral," said Lord Dearche smoothly. "And as Gracia has failed to stop these attacks – "

"See here, Lord Dearche, if _Carim Gracia_ can't stop them," said Admiral Kiel, "I mean to say, who _can_?"

"That remains to be seen," said Lord Dearche with a nasty smile. "But all twelve of us have voted – "

"And how many did you have to threaten and blackmail before they agreed, Eberwein, eh?" roared Schach, leaping to her feet.

"Dear, dear, you know, that temper of yours will lead you into trouble one of these days, Nouera," said Lord Dearche. "I would advise you not to shout at the Gefängnis guards like that. They won't like it at all."

"You can't take Carim-Sama!" yelled Schach, throwing off Fried. "Take her away and the half-bloods won't stand a chance! There will be killing next!"

"Calm yourself, Schach," said Carim sharply. She looked at Dearche Eberwein. "If the governors want my removal, Lord Dearche, I shall of course step aside. I will inform Presea Testarossa that she will be acting as temporary Headmistress while I am gone."

"But – "stuttered Admiral Kiel.

"_No!_" growled Schach.

"However," said Carim, speaking very slowly and clearly so that none of them could miss a word, "you will find that I will only _truly _have left this church when none here are loyal to me. You will also find that help will always be given at St. Hilde to those who ask for it."

For a second, Nanoha was almost sure Carim's eyes were flickered toward the corner where she and Fate stood hidden.

"Admirable sentiments," said Lord Dearche, bowing. "We shall all miss your – er – highly individual way of running things, Gracia, and only hope that your successor will manage to prevent any – ah – _killings._"

She strode to the shack door, opened it, and bowed Carim out. Admiral Kiel, fiddling with his jacket, waited for Schach to go ahead of him, but Schach stood her ground, took a deep breath, and said carefully, "If anyone wanted to find out some _stuff_, all they'd have to do would be to follow the _spiders_. That'd lead them right! That's all I'm saying."

Admiral Kiel stared at her in amazement.

"All right, I'm coming," said Schach, pulling on her church robe. But as she was about to follow Admiral Kiel through the door, she stopped again and said loudly, "And someone will need to make sure the kids are eating right while I'm away."

The door banged shut and Nanoha and Fate pulled back their hoods.

"We're in trouble now," Fate said hoarsely. "No Carim-Sama. They might as well close the church tonight. There'll be an attack a day with her gone."

Fried chirped sadly, scratching at the closed door.

* * *

**Suì-Fēng, Hitsugaya, Schach, and Carim – the last defenses of St. Hilde have fallen one-by-one. Now that the church has been left virtually defenseless, will there still be a chance3 to save the victims and stop the monster's attack? In the next chapter, Nanoha and friends will face their fears as they enter Forbidden Forest once more and the truth behind the events of thirty years ago will finally be brought to light. Find out what happens next on Tomb – of – Shadows! (I should totally host my own reality show XD).**


	15. The Spider-Queen

**Nanoha and the Tomb of Shadows**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen: The Spider-Queen**

Winter was creeping over the grounds around the castle; sky and lake alike turned a stormy gray and a sea of white snow blanketed the laws. But with no Schach visible from the church windows, striding the grounds with Erio and Caro at her side, the scene didn't look right to Nanoha; no better, in fact, than the inside of the church, where things were so horribly wrong. Nanoha, Fate and Hayate had tried to visit Teana, but visitors were now barred from the hospital wing.

"We're taking no more chances," Doctor Chopped told them severely through a crack in the infirmary door as they restrained Subaru from breaking it down. "No, I'm sorry, there's every chance the attacker might come back to finish these people off…"

With Carim gone, fear had spread as never before. There was barely a face to be seen in the church that didn't look worried and tense, and any laughter that rang through the hallways sounded shrill and unnatural and was quickly stifled. Nanoha constantly repeated Carim's final words to herself. _"I will only __truly __have left this church when none here are loyal to me…help will always be given at St. Hilde to those who ask for it."_ But what good were these words? Who exactly were they supposed to ask for help, when everyone was just as confused and scared as they were?

Schach's hint about the spiders was far easier to understand – the trouble was, there didn't seem to be a single _Ara__ñ__a _left in the church to follow. Nanoha looked everywhere she went, helped by Hayate and (rather reluctantly) Fate. They were hampered, of course, by the fact that they weren't allowed to wander off on their own but had to move around the church in a pack with the other Kaisers. Most of their fellow students seemed glad that they were being shepherded from class to class by teachers, but Nanoha found it very annoying.

One person, however, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere of terror and suspicion. Yuri Eberwein was strutting around the church as though she had just been appointed Lady Saint. Nanoha didn't realize what she was so pleased about until Scientific Research class about two weeks after Carim and Schach had left, when, sitting right behind Yuri, Nanoha overheard her gloating to the Florian Twins.

"I always thought Mother might be the one who got rid of Gracia," she said, not troubling to keep her voice down. "I told you she thinks Gracia's the worst headmistress the church has ever had. Maybe we'll get a decent headmaster now. Someone who won't _want_ the Tomb of Shadows closed." Presea swept past Subaru, making no comment about Teana's empty seat. "Sensei, why don't you apply as the _permanent_ headmistress?"

"Now, Now, Eberwein," said Presea, though she couldn't suppress a thin-lipped smile. "My position is temporary. Carim-Sama has only been suspended by the governors. I daresay she'll be back with us soon enough."

"Yeah, right," said Yuri, smirking. "I expect you'd have Mother's vote, Sensei, if you applied for the job – _I'll_ tell Mother you're the best teacher here, Sensei – " Presea smirked as she swept off around the classroom, fortunately not spotting Rex Salazar, who was pretending to vomit under the desk. "I'm quite surprised the half-breeds haven't all packed their bags by now. But you five hundred credits the next one dies. Pity it wasn't Lancaster – "

The bell rang at that moment, which was lucky; at Yuri's last words, Subaru had leapt out of her seat, and in the scramble to collect bags and books, her attempts to reach Yuri went unnoticed.

"Let me at her," Subaru growled as Nanoha, Fate, Hayate, Rex, Ben, _and_ Axel were trying to hold her back, being dragged across the floor by the unnatural strong girl. "I don't care if I lose a thousand points, I'm going to kill her with my bare hands – "

"What is taking so – " Presea walked back in, spotting the entire Kaiser class clinging to Subaru's waist. "What s going on here? On second thought, I really don't wait to know. Hurry up; I've got to take you all to Environmental Studies."

And off they marched, with the entire Kaiser class bringing up the rear, Subaru still trying to break loose. It was only safe to let go of her when Presea had seen them out of the church and they were making their way across the snowy vegetable patch toward the greenhouses. The Environmental Studies class was very subdued; there were now two missing from their number, Lisanna and Teana.

Hashirama-Sensei set them all to work pruning the Abysus Nano-Shrubs. Nanoha went to tip an armful of withered stalks onto the compost heap and found herself face-to-face with Soul Evens. Soul took a deep breath and said, very formally, "I just want to say, Nanoha, that I'm sorry I ever suspected you. I know you'd never Teana Lancaster, and I apologize for calling you a White Devil."

"**The name kinda fits, though,**" said Raising Heart; Nanoha glared. "**What? You can be a bit…devilish when you want to be. Remember that girl from last year who tried to steal your…**"

"Anyway!" said Nanoha loudly. "Apology accepted, Soul."

"Good," said Soul, coming to work at the same Nano-Shrub as Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate. "That Yuri Eberwein girl, she seems very pleased about all this, doesn't she? Do you know, I think _she _might be the Heir of Nachtwal."

"Well, aren't you the clever one," said Hayate, who didn't seem to have forgiven Soul as readily as Nanoha.

"Do you think it's Yuri, Nanoha?" Soul asked.

"No," said Nanoha. So firmly that Soul stared.

A second later, Nanoha spotted something. Several large _Ara__ñ__a_ were scuttling over the ground on the other side of the glass, moving in an unnaturally straight line as though taking the shortest route to a prearranged meeting. Nanoha hit Fate hard over the hand with her pruning shears, which, predictably, resulted in her shears being tossed out the window. Hashirama-Sensei stared for a moment, but decided it was nothing. When Fate silently asked what she wanted, Nanoha pointed out the _Ara__ñ__a_ following their progress with her eyes screwed up against the sun.

"Oh, yeah," said Fate, trying, and failing, to look pleased. "But we can't follow them now – "

Hayate and Soul were listening curiously, Hayate being the only one to understand the topic. Nanoha's eyes narrowed as she focused on the _Ara__ñ__a_. If they pursued their fixed course, there could be no doubt about where they would end up.

"Looks like their heading for the Forbidden Forest…"

Fate looked even unhappier about that. At the end of the lesson Hashirama-Sensei escorted the class to their Tactical Combat Instruction class. Nanoha, Hayate, and Fate lagged behind the others so they could talk out of earshot.

"We'll have to use the Black Coats again," Nanoha told Fate and Hayate. "We can go down to the shack and ask Erio to take us. He's used to going into the forest with Schach, he might be some help."

"Aw, man, this sucks," Hayate whined as they took their usual places at the back of Tsukishima's classroom, slamming her head on the desk. "I hate being paraplegic – I can never do any of the fun stuff anymore like sneaking around the church and going into the forest."

Walking around a creepy, noiseless, shadowy forest in the middle of the night wasn't exactly Nanoha's definition of fun. Hayate had never been into the Forbidden Forest before. Nanoha and Fate had entered it only once and had hoped never to do so again. There were a lot of dangerous stuff in there – basilisks, dragons, and manticores were some examples. Last year, it served as a hunting ground for Envy the Homunculus after she had been weakened in battle. Although, there were some good things in the forest. Nel was one of them – Nanoha wondered if her headaches were getting any better.

Tsukishima bounded into the room and the class stared at him. Every other teacher in the place was looking grimmer than usual, but Tsukishima appeared nothing short of buoyant.

"Come now," he cried, beaming around him. "Why all those long faces?" People swapped exasperatedly looks, but nobody answered. Nanoha was happy to notice that no one seemed the least bit in Tsukishima as they once were. "Don't you people realize the danger has passed! The culprit has been taken away – "

"Says who?" said Ben Tennyson loudly.

"My dear young man, the TSAB High Council wouldn't have taken Schach if they hadn't been one hundred percent sure that she was guilty," said Tsukishima, in the tone of someone explaining that one and one made two.

"Oh, yes they would," said Hayate, even more loudly that Ben.

"I flatter myself I know a _touch_ more about Schach's arrest than you do, Miss Yagami," said Tsukishima in a self-satisfied tone.

Hayate started to say that she didn't think so, somehow, but stopped in midsentence when Fate punched her hard in the shoulder.

"We weren't there, remember?" Fate muttered.

But Tsukishima's disgusted cheeriness, his hints that he had always Schach was no good, his confidence that the whole business was now at an end, irritated Nanoha so much that she yearned to throw _Battle of the Behemoth_ right in Tsukishima's stupid face. Instead, she contented herself with scrawling a note to Fate: _Let's do it tonight_.

"**I never knew you were so bold, Master,**" said Raising Heart suggestively; Nanoha banged her on the desk. "**I think I'll shut down for a day or six.**"

Fate read the message, blushed furiously at Raising Hearts comment, and looked over to the empty seat next to Subaru usually filled by Teana. The sight seemed to stiffen her resolve, and she nodded.

* * *

The Kaiser common room was always very crowded these days, because from six o'clock onward the Kaisers had nowhere else to go. They also had plenty to talk about, with the result that the common room often didn't empty until midnight. Nanoha and Fate went to get their Black Coats right after dinner, and spent the evening sitting on them, waiting for the room to clear. Agito and Rein challenged Fate and Nanoha to a few games of Sabacc, and Vita sat watching them. Nanoha and Fate kept losing on purpose, trying to finish the games quickly, but even so, it was very well past midnight when Agito, Rein, and Vita finally went to bed.

Nanoha and Fate waited for the distant sound of two dormitory doors closing before seizing their coats, throwing them over themselves, and exited through the archway. It was another difficult journey through the church, dodging all the teachers. At last they reached the entrance hall, slid back the lock on the oak front doors, squeezed between them, trying to stop any creaking, and stepped out into the dark grounds.

"Of course," said Fate abruptly as they strode across the black grass, "we might get to the forest and find there's nothing to follow. Those _Ara__ñ__a_ might not have been going there at all. I know it looked like they were moving in that sort of general direction, but…"

Her voice trailed off hopefully. They reached Schach's Shack, sad and sorry-looking with its blank windows. Nanoha knocked on the door and waited for Caro or Erio to answer. Instead, the door opened and Nel was leaning forward to peak through the cramped doorway, hold an ice pack to her forehead. The centaur looked around, unable to see Nanoha and Fate in the darkness, and was about to shut the door when Fate put her foot in the way. Fate cursed loudly and Nel jumped, hitting her head on the ceiling, until Nanoha pulled back hers and Nanoha's hood to calm the centaur down.

"Ah, Nanoha Takamachi, Fate Testarossa," said Nel in relief, brushing the drips of water running down her face. "What bring you here at such troubling times?"

"We're looking for Erio," said Nanoha. "We need someone to guide us through the forest."

"Erio Mondial and Caro Ru Lushe have gone to the Belkan District once more," said Nel, setting the ice pack on the whitewash table, "to retrieve some more herbs for my medicine – the headaches are getting worse. There are times when I have lost consciousness. But never mind that. If you need a guide through the forest, I am willing to assist. I have lived in the Forbidden Forest for many decades."

"Are you sure?" asked Fate, sounding worried. "If your head hurts…"

"It is quite all right," said Nel. "I am feeling better – honest."

Her pale skin and sweat beading down her forehead made Nanoha want to argue against this, but they desperately needed someone to take them into the Forbidden Forest. There was no telling when Erio might come back and it might be too late by the time he came back. Nodding in agreement, Nanoha and Fate walked out of the Shack with Nel trotting behind them.

Fate held out her hand and summoned a small ball of yellow Mana in her palm, creating just enough light to let them watch the path for signs of _Ara__ñ__a_. Nanoha tapped Fate on the shoulder, pointing to the grass. Two solitary spider-like insects were hurrying away from the magical light into the shade of trees.

"Okay," Fate sighed as though resigned to the worst, "I'm ready. Let's go."

So, with Nel leading the way, trampling tree roots and leaves under her hooves, they entered the forest. By the glow of Fate's Photon Light – her words, not Nanoha's – they followed the steady trickle of _Ara__ñ__a_ moving along the path. They walked behind them for twenty minutes, not speaking, listening hard for noises other than breaking twigs and rustling leaves. Then, when the trees had become thicker than ever, so that the stars overhead were no longer visible, and Fate's Photon Light shone alone in the sea of dark, they saw their spider guides leave the path.

Nanoha paused, trying to see where the _Ara__ñ__a _were going, but everything outside of Fate's little sphere of light was pitch-black. She had never been this deep into the forest before. She could vividly remember Schach advising her not to leave the forest path last time she had been in here. But Schach was mile away now, probably sitting in a cell in Gefängnis, and she had also said to follow the spiders. Something wet touched Nanoha's neck and she jumped backward, crushing Fate's foot, but it was only a drop of Nel's sweat – she was looking worse than when they had entered.

"What do you think?" Nanoha said to Fate, whose eyes she could just make out, reflecting the light of her Mana.

"We've come this far," said Fate.

So they followed the darting shadows of the _Ara__ñ__a_ into the trees. They couldn't move very quickly now; there were tree roots and stumps in their way, barely visible in the close blackness. More than once, they had to stop, so that Fate could crouch down and find the _Ara__ñ__a_ in her light. They walked for what seemed like at least half an hour, their Barrier Jackets snagging on low-slung branches. After a while, they noticed that the ground seemed to be sloping downward, though the trees were as thick as ever.

Then Nel started to sway dizzily on her feet until she collapsed sideways into the roots of the tree, making a loud crunching sound that echoed through the thickets. Nanoha quickly dropped to her knees and pressed her hand against the centaur's forehead – she was burning up!

"Nel, we need to take you to Doctor Chopper!" Nanoha exclaimed urgently.

"I will be…just fine…" said Nel stubbornly, though panting very hard. "There is…something…something moving…over there." She pointed to the darkness between the trees. "I can hear…hear it….it sounds like…something big…"

They listened. Some distance to their right, the something big was snapping branches as it curved a path through the trees.

"Oh, no," said Fate, discarding her Photon Light in favor of Bardiche. "Nanoha, stay behind me."

"What is it, Fate-Chan?" said Nanoha frantically.

"I don't know," said Fate, swallowing loudly. "I've never heard of anything like it before."

The darkness seemed to be pressing on their eyeballs as they stood, terrified, waiting. There was a strange rumbling noise and then silence.

"What do you think it's doing?" said Nanoha.

"Probably getting ready to pounce," said Fate.

They waited, shivering, hardly daring to move.

"Do you think it's gone?" Nanoha whispered.

"I don't – " Then, to their right, came a sudden blaze of light, so bright in the darkness that both of them flung their hands to shield their eyes. "Nanoha! Nanoha, is that the Batmobile?"

"_What?_"

Nanoha blundered after Fate toward the light, stumbling and tripping, and a moment later they had emerged into a clearing. The Batmobile was standing, empty, in the middle of a circle of thick trees under a roof of dense branches, its headlights ablaze. As Fate walked, open-mouthed, toward it, it moved slowly toward her, exactly like a large black dog greeting its owner.

"It's been in the Forbidden Forest this whole time!" said Fate impressively, walking around it. "Look at it. The forest's turned it wild…" The sides of the Batmobile were scratched and smeared with mud. Apparently it had taken to trundling around the forest on its own. "And we thought it was going to attack us! I wondered where it had gone! Hayate will be so happy to know that Batmobile's safe."

"**And more importantly, Sir, Batman won't almost-kill her.**" Said Bardiche.

Nanoha squinted around on the floodlit ground for signs of more _Ara__ñ__a_, but they had all scuttled away from the glare of the headlights.

"We've lost the trail," she said. "C'mon, let's go and find them."

Fate didn't speak. She didn't move. Her eyes were fixed on a point some ten feet above the forest floor, right behind Nanoha. Her face livid with terror. Nanoha didn't even have time to turn around. There was a loud clicking noise and suddenly she felt something long and hairy seize her around the middle and lift her off the ground, so that she was hanging facedown. Struggling, terrified, she heard more clicking, and saw Fate's legs leave the ground, too – next moment, she was being swept away into the dark trees.

Head hanging, Nanoha saw that what had a hold of her was marching on six immensely long, hairy legs, the front two clutching her tightly below a pair of shining black pincers. Behind her, she could hear another of the creatures, no doubt carrying Fate. They were moving into the very heart of the forest. Nanoha could hear Fate fighting to free herself from the monster, whimpering in a terrified state, but Nanoha couldn't have yelled even if she had wanted to; she seemed to have left her voice back with the Batmobile in the clearing.

She never knew how long she was in the creature's clutches; she only knew that the darkness suddenly lifted enough for her to see that the leaf-strewn was now swarming with _Ara__ñ__a._ Craning her neck sideways, she realized that they had reached the ridge of a vast hollow (not the evil spirit kind), a hollow that had been cleared of trees, so that the stars shone brightly onto the worst scene she had ever laid eyes on.

Spiders. Not tiny spiders like those surging over the leaves below. Spiders the size of SUVs, eight-eyed, eight-legged, black, hairy, gigantic. The massive specimen that was carrying Nanoha made its way down the steep slope toward a misty, domed web in the very center of the hollow, while its fellows closed in all around it, clicking their pincers excitedly at the sight of its load.

Nanoha fell to the ground on all fours as the _Ara__ñ__a_ released her. Fate thudded down next to her. She looked exactly as Nanoha felt. Her mouth was stretched wide in a kind of silent scream and her eyes were popping. Nanoha suddenly realized that the spider that had dropped her was saying something. It had been hard to tell, because he clicked his pincers with every word he spoke.

"Soria!" it called. "Soria!"

And from the middle of the misty, domed web, a spider the size of a small elephant emerged, very slowly. The lower body had the eight-legged aspects of a spider, but, like Nel, its upper body was strangely shaped like a human woman with two razor-shape pincers, wavy black hair growing from its skull, and four milky-white eyes. She was blind.

"What is it?" she said, clicking her pincers rapidly.

"Humans," clicked the spider who had caught Nanoha.

"Is it Schach?" said Soria, moving closed, her eight milky eyes wandering vaguely.

"Strangers," clicked the spider who had brought Fate.

"Kill them," clicked Soria fretfully. "I was sleeping…"

"We're friends of Schach's," Nanoha shouted.

Her heart seemed to have left her chest to pound in her throat. Click, click, click went the pincers of the _Ara__ñ__a_ all around the hollow. Soria paused.

Schach has never sent humans into our hollow before," she said slowly.

"Schach's in trouble," said Nanoha, breathing very fast. "That's why we've come."

"In trouble?" said the Spider-Queen, and Nanoha thought she heard concern beneath the clicking pincers. "But why has she sent you?

Nanoha thought of getting to her feet but decided against it; she didn't think her legs would support her. So she spoke from the ground, as calmly as she could.

"They think, up at the church, that Schach's been setting a – a – something on the students. They've taken her to Gefängnis."

Soria the Spider-Queen clicked her pincers furiously, and all around the hollow the sound was echoed by the crowd of spiders; it was like applause, except applause didn't usually make Nanoha feel sick with fear.

"But that was years ago," said Sora fretfully. "Years and years ago. I remember it well. That's why they made her leave the church. They believed _I_ was one of the monsters that dwelled in what they call the Tomb of Shadows. They thought that Schach had opened the Tomb and set me free."

"And you…you didn't come from the Tomb of Shadows?" said Nanoha, who could feel cold sweat on her forehead.

"I!" said Soria, clicking angrily. "I was not born in the church. I come from a distant land – a hellish world called New York City" Nanoha blinked, but said nothing. "A traveler gave me to Schach when I was an egg. Schach was only a child, but she cared for me, hidden in a cupboard in the church, feeding me on scraps from the table. Schach is my good friend and a good woman. When I was discovered, and blamed for the death of Greta Hayes, she protected me. I have lived here in the forest ever since, where Schach still visits me. She found me a husband, Parker, and you see how our family has grown, all through Schach's goodness…"

Nanoha summoned what remained of her courage.

"So you never – never attacked anyone?"

"Never," croaked the Spider-Queen. "It would have been my instinct, but out of respect for Schach, I never harmed a human. The body of Greta Hayes was discovered in a dark tower on the eight floor of the church. I never saw any part of the church but the cupboard in which I grew up. Our kind like the dark and the quiet…"

"But then…do you know what _did _kill that girl?" said Nanoha. "Because whatever it is, it's back and attacking people again – "

Her words were drowned by a loud outbreak of clicking and the rustling of many long legs shifting angrily; large black shapes shifted all around her.

"The beasts that lives in the church," said Soria, "are a race of evil monsters we _Ara__ñ__a_ fear above all others. Well do I remember how I pleaded with Schach to let me go, when I sensed them moving about the church."

"What are they?" said Nanoha urgently.

"We do not speak of them!" said Soria fiercely. "We do not name them! I never even told Schach the name of those dreaded creatures, though she asked me, many times."

Nanoha didn't want to press the subject, not with the _Ara__ñ__a_ pressing closer on all sides. Sora seemed to be tired of talking. She was backing slowly into her domed web, but her fellow _Ara__ñ__a_ continued to inch slowly toward Nanoha and Fate.

"We'll just go, then," Nanoha called desperately to Soria, hearing leaves rustle behind her.

"Go?" said Soria slowly. "I think not. My sons and daughters do not harm Schach, on my command. But I cannot deny them fresh meat, when it wanders so willingly into our midst. Good-bye, friends of Schach."

Nanoha spun around. Feet away, towering above her, was a solid wall of _Ara__ñ__a_, clicking, their many eyes gleaming in their ugly black heads. Nanoha and Fate stood back to back as the spider creatures surrounded them, some crawling on the ground and others sliding from the branches on webs. She could feel Fate shaking against her – she seemed to be fighting the urge to scream and cry. Nanoha knew how traumatic this must be for Fate, so she pulled out Raising Heart and decided to be the one to protect her this time.

"**Shooting Mode!**" said Raising Heart.

The golden head of her Device shifted to its two-pronged form as Nanoha pointed at the wall of _Ara__ñ__a_, shouting "**Axel Shooter!**" and blasted the arachnids with a volley of pink lasers. With the skills possessed by a master sniper, Nanoha hit twelve _Ara__ñ__a_ simultaneously between the eyes, even though she hadn't taken the time to aim. She heard Fate squeak and turned. One of the _Ara__ñ__a _had broken from the pack and pounced on her – Bardiche's rod being the only thing separating its pincers from Fate's neck. With the cry of "**Flash Impact!**", Nanoha dashed over and the head of the _Ara__ñ__a_; the spider imploding from the compressed Mana in her attack.

Nanoha quickly helped Fate back to her feet, but noticed that she was shaking worse than before. Fate was seriously scared. As she looked around, there was no denying that without Fate's help, there was no chance of them fighting their way out alive. She could use the attack she used against Envy, but there was a chance that Fate would be caught in the crossfire. Nanoha was all but ready to submit to her doom when a loud, long note sounded, and a blaze of light flamed through the hollow.

The Batmobile was thundering down the slope, headlights glaring, its horn screeching, blasting _Ara__ñ__a_ into tiny pieces with its hidden missiles. _That is one awesome car_ Nanoha thought. The Batmobile tumbled over one of the _Ara__ñ__a_ with a sickening _crunch_ and screeched to a halt in front of Nanoha and Fate and the doors flew open. They could see Nel through the windshield, fast asleep in the backseat.

"Get in!" Nanoha yelled, diving into the front seat; Fate finally snapped out of her petrified state and, with a yelp, threw herself into the car – the doors slammed shut – Nanoha didn't touch the accelerator but the Batmobile didn't need her; the engine roared and they were off, shooting down more _Ara__ñ__a_ along the way. They sped up the slope, out of the hollow, and they were soon crashing through the forest, branches whipping the windows as the Batmobile wound its way cleverly through the widest gaps, following a path it obviously knew.

Nanoha looked sideways at Fate. Her mouth was still open in the silent scream, but her eyes weren't popping anymore.

"Are you okay?"

Fate stared straight ahead, unable to speak. They smashed their way through the undergrowth and Nanoha saw the side mirror snap off as they squeezed past a large oak. After ten noisy, rocky minutes, the trees thinned, and Nanoha could again see patches of sky.

The Batmobile stopped so suddenly that they were nearly thrown into the windshield. They had reached the edge of the forest. Nanoha got out, and after a minute or so, Fate seemed to regain the feeling in her limbs and followed, still stiff-necked and staring. The backdoor opened and Nanoha and Fate had to combine their strength to pull Nel out of the backseat, slamming the door behind her. Nanoha gave the Batmobile a grateful pat as it reversed back into the forest and disappeared from view.

Nanoha and Fate had to drag Nel's unconscious body back into Schach's shack, which was surprisingly empty when they returned – how long does it take to buy some herbs? As Nanoha settled the centaur into Schach's bed and threw a blanket over her, Fate had dashed outside again – she could hear the sounds of sickly retching coming from Schach's pumpkin patch. Nanoha waited until the sound stopped before she went back outside.

"Follow the spiders," said Fate weakly, wiping her mouth on her Black Coat sleeve. "If Schach ever gets out of Gefängnis, I'm gonna kill her. We're lucky to be alive.

"I bet she thought Soria wouldn't hurt friends of hers," said Nanoha.

"That's exactly Schach's problem!" said Fate, thumping the wall of the shack. "She always thinks monsters aren't as bad as they're made out, and look where it's got her! A cell in Gefängnis!" She was shivering uncontrollably now. "What was the point of sending us in there? What have we found out, I'd like to know?"

"That Schach never opened the Tomb of Shadows," said Nanoha, throwing on her hood with Fate following in turn. "She was innocent."

Fate gave a loud snort. Evidently, hatching Soria in a cupboard wasn't her idea of innocent. As the church loomed closer Nanoha cautiously pushed the creaking front door ajar. They walked carefully back across the entrance hall and up the marble staircase, clinging to the shadows as they passed hallways where watchful sentries were walking. At last they reached the safety of the Kaiser common room, where the fire had burned itself into glowing ash. They took off their coats and climbed the winding staircase to their dormitory.

Fate fell onto her bed without bothering to get undressed. Nanoha, however, didn't feel very sleepy. She sat on the edge of her canopy bed, thinking hard about everything had said. The monsters that were lurking somewhere in the church, he thought, sounded like a sort of monster Stern – even other monsters didn't want to name them. But they were no closer to finding out what it was, or how it shattered the souls of its victims. Even Schach had never known what was in the Tomb of Shadows.

Nanoha swung her legs up onto her bed and leaned back against the pillows, watching the moon glinting at her through the tower window. She couldn't see what else they could do. They had hit dead ends everywhere. Nette had caught the wrong person, the Heir of Nachtwal had got off, and no one could tell whether it was the same person, or a different one, who had opened the Tomb this time. There was nobody else to ask. Nanoha lay down, still thinking about what Soria had said.

She was becoming drowsy when what seemed like their very last hope occurred to her, and she suddenly jumped out of her bed, Raising Heart pointed to the ceiling.

"**Divine Burst!**" she shouted.

Raising Heart released a pulse of pink Mana, knocking everyone out of their beds, effectively waking them up.

"What's the big idea, Nanoha-San?" said Subaru sleepily.

"You better have a good excuse," Hayate mumbled. "I was having a good dream about living in a mansion full of bunny girls."

"Everyone, listen," said Nanoha urgently, hoping they would catch on. "We were in the forest and found the spider that Schach had been taking care of when she was expelled – Soria – but she wasn't the monster. She didn't tell us what the monst was, but she did tell us that it killed a girl named Greta Hayes."

"We already know that," said Hayate, irritated. "Nette's diary already told us that much."

"But it never said where the body was found," Nanoha said importantly. "Remember, Fate-Chan? Soria said that Greta Hayes' body was found in a dark tower on the eighth floor. What if she never left the tower? What if she's still there?"

The girls were still rubbing their eyes, frowning through the moonlight. And then they understood, too – Subaru voiced their suspicions.

"You _don't_ think – Greta Hayes is actually – _Secret?_"

* * *

**Hi-ho! Hi-Ho! To those woods we should never go! Finally, the last chance to save St. Hilde has appeared as Greta Hayes – now known as Secret – may be the only one who can reveal the truth behind the Tomb of Shadows. But will she be willing to help? In the next chapter, the Tomb of Shadows finally makes its appearance, Nanoha will finally use her Visored powers, and Tsukishima will receive half of his comeuppance (the other half will have to wait until the end). Stay tuned for the next spine tingling episode of Tomb – of –Shadows!**


	16. The Tomb of Shadows

**Nanoha and the Tomb of Shadows**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen: The Tomb of Shadows**

"All those times we were in that tower, and she was just a few feet away," said Hayate bitterly at breakfast the next day, "And we could have asked her, and now…"

It had been hard enough trying to look for spiders. Escaping their teachers long enough to sneak into the Midnight Tower, an area, moreover, right next to the scene of the first attack, was going to be almost impossible. But something happened in their first lesson, Alchemy, that drove the Tomb of Shadows out of their minds for the first time in weeks. Ten minutes into the class, Linith-Sensei told them that their exams would start on the first of January, one week from today."

"_Exams?_" howled Ben Tennyson. "We're still getting _exams_?"

There was a loud bang behind as Subaru slipped out of her chair, accidentally snapping one of the desk's legs with her elbow. Linith-Sensei clapped her hands together, restored the leg, and turned, frowning, to Ben.

"The whole point of keeping the church open at this time is for you to receive your education," she said sternly. "The exams will therefore take place as usual, and I trust you are all studying hard."

Studying hard! It had never occurred to Nanoha that there would be exams with the church in this state. There was a great deal of mutinous muttering around the room, which made Linith-Sensei scowl even more darkly.

"Carim-Sama's instructions were to keep the church running as normally as possible," she said. "And that, I need hardly point out, means finding out how much you have learned this year."

Nanoha looked down at the pair of white bunny slippers she was supposed to be turning into balls of cotton. What had she learned so far this year? She couldn't think of anything that would be useful in an exam. Hayate looked as though she had just been told to go and live in the Forbidden Forest.

"I haven't been studying at all!" Hayate hissed, clinging to Nanoha's arm desperately. "I was too busy working on your bunny girl costume last night!"

"I am not wearing that!" Nanoha screamed, drawing much unwanted attention to herself.

* * *

Three days before their first exam, Presea stood at the at the Headmistresses seat to make an important announcement at breakfast.

"I have good news," she said, and the Great Hall, instead of falling silent, erupted.

"Carim-Sama's coming back!" several people yelled joyfully.

"They caught the Heir of Nachtwal!" squealed a girl at the Hegemon table.

"Riot Force matches are back on!" roared Terra excitedly.

"No, no, and get your priorities straight, Earthshaker," said Presea irritably. "Hashirama-Sensei has informed me that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last. Tonight, we will be able to revive those people who have been attacked. I need hardly remind you all that one of them may well be able to tell us who, or what, attacked them. I am hopeful that this dreadful year will end with our catching the culprit."

There was an explosion of cheering. Nanoha looked over at the Material table and wasn't at all surprised to see that Yuri Eberwein hadn't joined in. Subaru, however, was looking happier than she had looked in days."

"It won't matter that we never asked Secret, then!" she said to them. "Tea will probably have all the answers when they wake her up! Mind you, she'll go crazy when she finds out we've got exams in three days' time. She hasn't studied. It might be kinder to leave her where she is until they're over."

Just then, Vita Yagami came over and sat down next to Hayate. She looked tense and nervous, and Nanoha noticed that her hands were twisting in her lap.

"What's up?" said Hayate, helping herself to more strudel. Vita didn't say anything, but glanced up and down the Kaiser table with a scared look on her face that reminded Nanoha of someone, though she couldn't think who. "Spit it out."

Nanoha suddenly realized who Vita looked like. She was rocking backward and forward slightly in her chair, exactly like Vette did when she was teetering on the edge of revealing forbidden information.

"I've got to tell you something," Vita mumbled, carefully not looking at them.

"What is it?" said Fate.

Vita looked as though she couldn't find the right words.

"_What?_" said Hayate.

Vita opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Nanoha leaned forward, keeping a certain distance between them in case Vita decided to punch her in the face instead, and spoke quietly, so that only Vita, Fate, Hayate, and Subaru could hear her.

"Is it something about the Tomb of Shadows? Have you seen something? Someone acting strangely?"

Vita drew a deep breath and, at that precise moment, Signum Yagami appeared, looking tired and wan.

"If you've finished eating, I'll take that seat, Vita. I'm starving, I've only just come off patrol duty."

Vita jumped up as though her chair had just been electrified, gave Signum a fleeting, frightened look, and scampered away. Signum sat down and grabbed a mug of black coffee from the center of the table.

"Signum!" said Hayate angrily. "She was just about to tell us something important!"

"W-What?" Signum choked, spitting out her hot coffee in Subaru's face. The poor girl fell back on the floor, withering in pain. "What sort of thing?"

"I just asked her if she had seen anything weird, and she started to say – "

"Oh – that – that's nothing to do with the Tomb of Shadows," said Signum at once.

"How do you know?" said Fate, curiously.

"Well, er, if you must know, Vita, er, walked in on me the other day when I was – well, never mind – the point is, she spotted me doing something and I, um, I asked her not to mention it to anybody. I must say, I did think she'd keep her word. It's nothing really."

"I don't believe you," said Hayate, looking unnaturally serious, pulling out a pen and notepad. "I'm going to need names, location, sizes, positions, and all the steamy details!"

Hayate made a mental note to buy a new notepad.

* * *

Nanoha knew the whole mystery might be solved tomorrow without their help, but she wasn't about to pass up a chance to speak to Greta Hayes if it turned up – and to her delight it did, midmorning, when they were being led to History of Magic by Shūkurō Tsukishima. Tsukishima, who had often assured them that all danger had passed, only to be proved wrong right away, was now wholeheartedly convinced that it was hardly worth the trouble to see them safely down the hallways. His hair wasn't as sleek as usual; it seemed he had been up most of the night, patrolling the fourth floor.

"Mark my words," he said, ushering them around a corner. "The first words out of those poor people's mouths will be '_It was Schach_'. Frankly, I'm astounded that Presea-Sensei thinks all these security measures are necessary."

"I agree, sir," said Nanoha, making Fate drop her books in surprise.

"Thank you, Nanoha," said Tsukishima graciously while they waited for a long line of Hades to pass. "I mean, we teachers have quite enough to be getting on with, without walking students to classes and standing guard all night…"

"That's right," said Hayate, catching on. "Why don't you leave us here, sir, we've only got one more hallway to go – "

"You know, Yagami, I think I will," said Tsukishima. "I really should go and prepare my next class – "

"Prepare his class," Subaru sneered as he hurried off. "Gone to curl his hair, more like."

The let the rest of the Kaisers draw ahead of them, then darted down a side passage and hurried off toward the Midnight Tower. But just as they were congratulating each other on their brilliant scheme.

"Takamachi! Yagami! Nakajima! Fate! What are you doing?" It was Presea, and she looked even more furious than Nanoha had last seen her, which was an astonishing feat itself. "Well, I'm waiting for an answer."

"We were – we were – " Subaru stammered. "We were going to – to go and see – "

"Teana!" said Fate. Presea and the girls looked at her. "We were going to see Teana. We have seen her in weeks, Mother, and we thought we'd sneak into the hospital wing, you know, and tell her the Mandrakes are nearly ready and, er, to not worry. I'm sorry if we are – "

"It's all right, Fate," said Presea, with a surprising hint of kindness in her voice, gently caressing her daughter's hair. "I remember what it was like to be young and worried for friends. You all were particularly affected by these tragic events – I know you were close friends with Captain Hitsugaya as well." She looked around, seeing if anyone was watching. "I normally don't do this, but I will let you go this time. I will inform Sasakibe-Sensei were you've gone. Tell Doctor Chopper I have given my permission."

Presea casually walked away, the edges of her lips twitching only slightly when she looked back at her daughter, and disappeared down the stairs. Fate sighed in relief, very surprised that her mother had bought that excuse, and turned back to her roommates. Nanoha, Hayate, and Subaru stared at their blonde friend, eyes bulging and mouths hanging.

"**This has got to be the strangest year in history,**" said Raising Heart, stupefied.

"**Aye, Sir**," said Bardiche.

They had no choice now but to go to the hospital wing and tell Doctor Chopper that they had Presea's permission to visit Teana. Doctor Chopper let them in, but reluctantly.

"There's just no _point_ talking to a person whose soul is broken like a mirror," he said, and they had to admit he had a point when they'd taken their seats next to Teana. It was plain that Teana didn't have the faintest inkling that she had visitors, and that they might just as well tell her bedside cabinet not to worry for all the good it would do.

"Wonder if she did see the attacker, though?" said Subaru, looking sadly at Teana's petrified expression. "Because if he sneaked up on them all, no one will ever know…"

But Nanoha wasn't looked at Teana's face. She was more interested in her right hand. It lay open on top of her blankets and bending closer, she saw something bulging in the palm of her black glove. Making sure that Doctor Chopper was nowhere near, she pointed this out to the others, who noticed immediately. Fate quickly shifted her position so that she blocked Nanoha from Doctor Chopper's view while she went to work removing the glove from Teana's hand. When she had succeeded, something fell out into Nanoha's hands – it was the tape record Shamal had sent to Hayate at the beginning of the year.

"I can't believe she kept that thing," Hayate groaned, reliving the memory of that dreadful day.

"If she kept it, there must be a reason," said Fate.

Once making sure that Doctor Chopper had left the room to get fresh towels, Nanoha quickly pressed play and all of them leaned forward to listen. They could hear Teana's voice, panting heavily with rushed footsteps in the background.

"**I don't have a lot of time – they've already taken down Zack and it's only a matter of time before they get me. If something should happen to me, I need to make sure that all my records are safe.**" There was a great crash in the background, followed by gunshots, and a shrill scream. "**I finally figured out the answer to all the questions everyone's been asking: Who is attacking the students? How can they move through the church undetected? And why can Nanoha hear voices no one else can? After thinking about it for a while, I finally figured it out – the creatures in the Tomb of Shadows are Hollows, creatures of darkness. That why only Nanoha, a Visored, can hear them as they move between dimensions.**"

Teana suddenly went silent, Nanoha and the others moved closer in anticipation, a chorus of heavy footsteps grew loud and quickly faded away. They heard Teana sigh and started running again.

"**Nachtwal used to experiment with Hollows, so it makes sense that he would have an army at his disposal. Whoever opened the Tomb of Shadows must have found a way to control the Hollows the same way Nachtwal did. But when I looked into the old reports on the attacks, I discovered that there was only a minimum of six attacks in total thirty years ago – way too small a number for an army of Hollows. That's how I came to the conclusion that whoever opened the Tomb of Shadows did not have the same control as Nachtwal did. The Heir of Nachtwal only used one Hollow to attack and it was only after interrogating Secret that I learned the identity of the attacker: Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck.**"

"Nel!" Nanoha screamed; Fate and Hayate quickly slapped their hands over her mouth, looking to see if Doctor Chopper had come back. Thankfully, he was still out, and they released Nanoha once she had calmed down. "But that's impossible! Nel would never do anything like this!"

"Nanoha, I know you said she's your friend," said Fate softly, "but you have to be open to the possibility that it might be her. She has been walking around in the church a lot lately."

"That's because she has a headache!" Nanoha defended fiercely. "Nel wouldn't do something like this! Besides, she's not a Hollow!"

"Uh – guys – listen," said Subaru, holding up the tape recorder for them to hear. There were more gunshots, what sounded like wood breaking, and Teana sliding on the floor.

"**I wasn't sure if I could believe Secret, but her description of Nelliel is amazing accurate. So I had Cross Mirage pull out all references on Nelliel's history. As in suspected, Nelliel is not a Hollow, but an Arrancar, a Hollow who has regained human characteristics – an essential reverse Visored. The article I pulled this information from was on a detailed description of the Dark Queen's list of minions and Nelliel was one of the worst. She was **_**Tercero**_** of the Espada."**

There was a loud hissing all around Nanoha – Fate, Hayate, and Subaru all took in a sharp breath.

"What's the Espada?" asked Nanoha.

"The Espada were the Dark Queen's elite warriors and her most trusted henchmen," said Hayate, looking pale. "There were all ranked from one to ten with one being the closest to the Dark Queen's level of power."

"Most of them were arrested after the Dark Queen disappeared," said Fate, leering darkly at the recorder. "Some had already left her side during the war, and some of them were never captured, still in hiding. I never knew we had such a dangerous person living so close to the church."

"But Nel's no dangerous…" said Nanoha weakly, slowly losing her conviction. "She can't be…"

One last gunshot rang in the hospital wing, shortly followed by Teana's painful cry.

"**There is no way I'm going to make it out of this in one piece. Please, whoever finds this; please take this to Carim-Sama. She has to know what's happening – she has to – "**

The recorder clicked – the tape had had run out. All four of them stood there in stunned silence, staring at the handheld recorder, but were quickly brought out of their stupor when something slammed behind them, causing them to shriek loudly. Doctor Chopper had returned, carrying a large load of fresh towels. He stared at them strangely for a moment and shrugged it off, busying himself by wiping down the cold sweat that was running down Captain Hitsugaya's body.

"This is unreal," said Hayate softly, swallowing loudly. "If all the stuff she said is true…then Nel was the one who opened the Tomb of Shadows. But why would she do that? Is she trying to get revenge for the Dark Queen or something?"

"This is too big for us to handle by ourselves," said Fate strongly, snatching the recorder out of Nanoha's hand. "We have to take this to Mother and tell her everything."

"Let's go to the staff room," said Nanoha, jumping up. "I'm not saying I believe Nel is responsible for this, but the headmistress will know what to do, even if it is Presea."

They ran downstairs. Not wanting to be discovered hanging around another hallway, they went straight to the deserted staff room. It was a large, paneled room full of dark, wooden chairs, some lab equipment probably used by Presea and Professor Stein, and a cute little poster of Ho-Kago Tea Time over the fireplace. The girls paced around the room, too excited to sit down – Hayate was the exception for obvious reasons.

But the bell to signal break never came instead, echoing through the hallways came Presea's voice, magically magnified.

"_All students are to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staff room. Immediately, please._"

"Not another attack?" said Fate. "Not Now?"

"What'll we do?" said Hayate, aghast. "Go back to the dormitory?"

"No," said Nanoha, glancing around. There was a wardrobe to her left, full of teacher's coats. "In here. Let's hear what it's all about. Then we can tell them what we've found out."

Subaru fumbled into the wardrobe, carrying Hayate on her back, while Nanoha and Fate quickly folded up her wheelchair before jumping in with them. They listened to the hundreds of people moving overhead, and the staff room door banging open. From between the folds of teacher's coats, they watched teachers filtering into the room some of them were looking puzzled, others downright scared. Then Presea arrived.

"It happened," she told the silent staff room. "A student has been taken by the monsters. Right into the Tomb itself."

Hashirama-Sensei let out an aggravated yell. Linith-Sense clapped her hands over her mouth. Professor Stein gripped the back of a chair very hard and said, "How can you be sure?"

"The Heir of Nachtwal," said Presea, who was very white, "left another message. Right underneath the first one. '_Her skeleton will lie in the Tomb forever'._"

"Who is it?" said Hashirama-Sensei, who had sunk, weak-kneed, into a chair. "Which student?"

"Vita Yagami," said Presea. A loud thump made Nanoha jump – Hayate had lost her grip on Subaru, staring blankly at the teachers. Thankfully, all of them were too distracted to hear. "We shall have to send all the students home tomorrow. This is the end of St. Hilde. Carim-Sama always said…"

The staff room door banged open again. For one wild moment, Nanoha was sure it would be Carim. But it was Tsukishima, and he was beaming.

"So sorry – dozed off – what have I missed?"

He didn't seem to notice that the other teachers were looking at him with something remarkably like hatred. Linith-Sensei stepped forward, wearing a wicked grimace that could rival Presea's.

"Just the man," she said. "The very man. A girl has been snatched by the monsters, Tsukishima. Taken into the Tomb of Shadows itself. Your moment has come at last."

"That's right, Shūkurō," chipped in Hashirama-Sensei, smirking as Tsukishima blanched. "Weren't you saying just last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Tomb of Shadows is?"

"I – well, I – " sputtered Tsukishima.

"Yes, did you tell me you were sure you knew what was inside it?" said Professor Stein, grinning like a madman.

"D-Did I? I don't recall – "

"I certainly remember you saying you were sorry you hadn't had a crack at the monsters before Schach was arrested," said Linith-Sensei. "Did you say that the whole affair had been bungled, and that you should have been given a free rein from the start?"

"I – I really never – you may have misunderstood – "

"We'll leave it to you, then, Shūkurō," said Presea coldly. "Tonight will be an excellent time to do it. We'll make sure everyone's out of your way. You'll be able to tackle the monsters all by yourself. A free rein at last."

Tsukishima gazed desperately around him, but nobody came to the rescue. He didn't look remotely handsome anymore. His lip was trembling, and in the absence of his usual toothy grin, he looked weak-chinned and feeble.

"V-very well," he said. "I'll – I'll be in my office getting – getting ready."

And he left the room.

"Right," said Presea, whose nostrils were flared, "that's got _him_ out from under our feet. The Heads of Houses should go and inform their students what has happened. Tell them the _Arthra_ will take them home first thing tomorrow. Will the rest of you please make sure no students have been left outside their dormitories?"

The teachers rose and left, one by one.

* * *

It was probably the worst day in Nanoha's entire life. She, Fate, Hayate, Agito, and Rein sat together in a corner of the Kaiser common room, unable to say anything to each other. Signum wasn't there. She had gone to send a letter to Shamal and Zafira, then shut herself up in her dormitory. No afternoon ever lasted as long as that one, nor had Kaiser Tower ever been so crowded, yet so quiet. Near sunset, Agito and Rein went up to bed, unable to sit there any longer.

"She knew something, Nanoha," said Hayate, speaking for the first time since they had entered the wardrobe in the staff room. "That's why she was taken. It wasn't some stupid thing about Signum at all. She'd found out something about the Tomb of Shadows. That must be why she was – " Hayate rubbed her eyes frantically. "I mean, she was pure-blood. There can't be any other reason."

Nanoha could see the sun sinking, blood-red, below the skyline. This was the worst she had ever felt. If only there was something they could do. Anything.

"Nanoha," said Hayate. "Do you think there's any chance at all she's not – you know – "

Nanoha didn't know what to say. She couldn't see how Vita could still be alive. But she couldn't just sit around doing nothing while one of her friends was hurting. She jumped to her feet.

"I'm going to go and see Tsukishima," she said. "Tell him what we know. He going to try and get into the Tomb. I can tell him what he's going up against."

"I'll come with you," Fate offered, but Nanoha shook her head.

"Stay with Hayate-Chan," she said. "She needs you more than I do."

"But Nel might be in the church somewhere," argued Fate. "You can't go out there alone. You can't."

* * *

Nanoha stepped lightly through the darkness that was falling through the hallways, under the guise of the Black Coat as she walked down, alone, to Tsukishima's office. There seemed to be a lot of activity going on inside it. She could hear scraping, thumps, and hurried footsteps. Pulling back her hood, Nanoha knocked and there was a sudden silence from inside. Then the door opened the tiniest crack and she saw one of Tsukishima's eyes peering through it.

"Oh – Takamachi – " he said, opening the door a bit wider. "I'm rather busy at the moment – if you would be quick – "

"Sensei, I've got some information for you," said Nanoha. "I think it'll help you."

"Er – well – it's not terribly – " The side of Tsukishima's face that she could see looked very uncomfortably. "I mean – well – all right – "

He opened the door and she entered. His office had been completely tripped. Two large trunks stood open. all his clothes had been hastily folded into one of them; books were jumbled untidily into the other. The photographs that covered the walls were now crammed into boxes on the desk.

"Are you going somewhere?" said Nanoha.

"Er, well, yes," said Tsukishima, ripping a life-sized poster of himself from the back of the door as he spoke and starting to roll it up. "Urgent call – unavoidable – got to go – "

"What about Vita?" said Nanoha jerkily.

"Well, as to that – most unfortunate – " said Tsukishima, avoiding her eyes as he wretched open a drawer and started emptying the contents into a bag. "No one regrets more than I – "

"You're the Tactical Combat Instructor!" said Nanoha. "You can't go now! Not with everything that's been going on!"

"Well – I must say – when I took the job – " Tsukishima muttered, now piling socks on top of his shirts, "nothing in the job description – I didn't expect – "

"You mean you're _running away_?" said Nanoha disbelievingly. "After all that stuff you did in your books – "

"Books can be misleading," said Tsukishima delicately.

"You wrote them!" Nanoha shouted.

"My dear girl," said Tsukishima, straightening up and frowning at Nanoha. "Do use your common sense. My books wouldn't have sold half as well if people didn't think _I'd_ done all those things. No one wants to read about some ugly Cerean Jedi, even if he did save a city from Wyverns. He'd look dreadful on the front cover. Absolutely hideous. And the Shinigami who banished the Behemoth had a harelip. I mean, come on – "

"You're a fraud," said Nanoha incredulously. "You've just been taking credit for what other people have done."

"Nanoha, Nanoha," said Tsukishima, shaking his head impatiently, "it's not nearly as simple as that. There was work involved. I had to track those people down. Ask them exactly how they managed to do what they dd. Then I rearranged their memories to make them think I did it. That's the power of my Fullbring, Book of the End. I can freely manipulate the memories of anyone I cut. It's not all book signings and publicity photos, Nanoha. You want fame; you have to be prepared for the long hard slog."

He banged the lid of his trunks shut and locked them.

"Let's see," he said. "I think that's everything. Yes. Only one thing left."

And in the blink of an eye, Tsukishima swerved around; his katana extended, and knocked Raising Heart out of her hand, clattering on the other side of the office. Nanoha had underestimated Tsukishima's true abilities and that cost her. Faster than she could react, Tsukishima had pinned her to the wall, the Book of the End pressed firmly against her chest.

"Awfully sorry, Nanoha, but I'll have to erase your memories now," said Tsukishima, speaking in a low, heavy voice. "Can't have you telling my secrets, can I? It's such a shame – I always like you. The way you sound, the way you smell, the way you…feel – " his free hand slowly crawled up Nanoha's side. "What do you say before I go…we make a few memories of our own?"

She always talked about Tsukishima being a pedophile as a joke between her friends, but she didn't think it was true. As Tsukishima's hand slowly reached for the hem of her jacket, she was starting to think that she should have listened to Fate-Chan about not going alone.

Good thing she did.

A sharp cry, a sickening _crunch_, and a small spray of blood later, Tsukishima was on the ground, both of his nostrils leaking blood, his left eyes closed, and three of his teeth on the floor. Nanoha sighed gratefully, turning to her savior. Subaru Nakajima pulled back the hood of her Black Coat, looking happier than she had been since Teana's attack.

"I've been waiting to do that for a long time, bastard," said Subaru. She leaned down and picked up the Book of the End, snapping the sword in her hand like a twig. "Guess you won't be needing this anymore."

"That was a little close, don't you think?" said Nanoha, reclaiming Raising Heart.

"Sorry, Nanoha-San," said Subaru apologetically. "I kinda got lost on the way down. This Black Coat thing really works, just like Fate-San said it would." They turned to Tsukishima, who was whimpering in the corner like a baby. "Oh, you're still up. I was trying not to hold back."

"What do you want from me?" said Tsukishima weakly though a mouthful of blood. "I don't know where the Tomb of Shadows is. There's nothing I can do."

"You're in luck," said Nanoha, forcing Tsukishima to his feet at staff-point. "We think _we_ know where it is. _And _what's inside it. Let's go."

They marched Tsukishima out of his office and down the nearest stairs, along the dark hallway where the message shone on the wall, to the door of the Midnight Tower. They sent Tsukishima in first. Nanoha was pleased to see that he was shaking. Secret was sitting at her usual windowsill, staring at the moon.

"Oh, it's you," she said when she saw Nanoha. "What do you want this time?"

"To ask you how you died," said Nanoha. That probably the best way to ask as Secret glared at her with spite and turned away in a huff. "Listen, we don't have time to argue. One of my – er – friends has been taken into the Tomb of Shadows. We know you told Teana about Nel so maybe you know how to get in. Please, we need your help, Greta."

Secret's turned sharply back at Nanoha, her eyes wide and her lips thin, then vanished in a puff of smoke. She reappeared in front of Nanoha, knocking Tsukishima and Subaru to the side, and shoved her against the wall, looking outright furious.

"How do you know that name? Who told you?"

"Your name is Grate Hayes, you were killed by Nel thirty years ago," said Nanoha, staring down the angry specter. "We need your help to get into the Tomb of Shadows to make sure what happened to you doesn't happen to anyone else."

"Why should I care?" said Secret. "No one cared about me? No one mourned for me after I was gone. What makes this friend of yours so special that her death would be more tragic than mine? Huh?"

"You're wrong," Nanoha said softly; Secret tilted her head. "There is someone who was sad about your death: Carim Gracia. She wanted to talk to you for the longest time, but didn't know how. When you died, she was crying. When she found out the Tomb of Shadows was opened again, I could sadness in her eyes. I have no doubt that even after all these years, she still mourns your death. If she could, she would charge head-on into the Tomb herself to avenge" She clutched Secret's hand, which wasn't as cold as she thought. "Please, Greta, for Carim-Sama."

Secret remained silent for the longest time, staring deeply at the dark walls of her tower. Nanoha didn't know what she was thinking, but she could see something glimmering in her eyes – tears. Sniffling, she floated to the staircase, sat down, and pulled back her hood. Now that she could see Greta's face clearly, Nanoha thought she looked just as beautiful as Fate or Carim.

"It was thirty years ago," said Secret in a small, clear voice. "Right here, in this very tower. I'd hidden because my brother, Billy, was picking on me with his friends, throwing stones at me. The door was locked, and I was crying, and then I heard somebody behind me. It was that Nel girl, though she looked much different than she does now. She had literally walked through the walls, like she was a shadow. We stared at each other, I was trying to crawl to the door. But before I could get out, she cut me in half. When I woke up, I found myself floating over my bisected corpse – Nel was gone."

"Wait, she came out of the _shadows_?" asked Subaru.

"Not the shadows, exactly." Secret hummed, tapping her chin in thought. "It was like some kind of mouth opened. I heard her say some funny word when she walked out. _Garganta,_ I believe." She pointed to the wall opposite of the room. "Somewhere over there."

Nanoha and Subaru hurried over to it. Tsukishima was standing well back, a look of utter terror on his face. It looked like an ordinary wall. They examined every inch of it; brick by brick. Though nothing seemed out of the ordinary, Nanoha couldn't explain the sudden chill she felt from the stone. It was almost as if something dark and sinister was calling her in.

"Nanoha-San," said Subaru. "If only Arrancar and Visored can open it, then maybe you should try. Use that word Secret said."

"But – " Nanoha thought hard. The only times she had ever managed to use her Visored powers were when she had been angry. She tried to must up some dark thoughts, glaring at the wall hard. "Ganganta!"

Nothing happened.

"Nanoha-San, you're mask didn't show," said Subaru. "Try again."

Nanoha took a deep breath. She thought about all the things she hated – the Henkens, Yuri, Presea, everyone whispering behind her back – and rolled them all together in her chest. She felt a tingling sensation and her head suddenly felt heavier. Glancing at the shattered mirror, she saw that her mask had formed completely instead of partially. It was rather plain with only two dark striped running over the eyes.

"**Garganta!**" she said

Her voice sounded high and shrill; like a demon's hiss. Next second, the wall transformed into a blocky sort of fixture and stretched open like a monstrous mouth, the black mass beyond it being the throat of the beast. Nanoha heard Subaru gasp and looked up again. She had made up her mind what she was going to do.

"I'm going down there," she said.

She couldn't not go, not now they had found the entrance to the Tomb, not if there was even the faintest, slimmest, wildest chance that Vita might be alive.

"Me too," said Subaru.

Well, you hardly seem to need me," said Tsukishima, with a shadow of his old smile. "I'll just – "

He put his hand on the door knob, but Secret puffed in front of him, glaring daggers at her broken-toothed, black-eyed face.

"You first," she snarled.

White-faced and weaponless, Tsukishima approached the mouth.

"Girl," he said, his voice feeble. "Girls, what good will it do?" Nanoha jabbed him in the back with her Device. Tsukishima slid his legs into the mouth. "I really don't think – " he started to say, but Subaru gave a good kick, and he slid out of sight. They listened to him scream for at least a minute before they heard a dull thud. "Really quite filthy down here."

Nanoha, followed quickly, but not before shooting Secret an appreciative smile – she wasn't such a bad person after all. It was like falling to the bottom of a thick, black ocean. She could see nothing but absolute darkness and felt virtually weightless, but was aware that gravity was pulling her downward. She didn't know if she was falling farther below the church than Carim's office or if she was even in the church at all. Behind her, she could hear the tell-tale whoosh of Subaru's coat flapping in the void.

And then, just when she started to believe she would fall forever, her feet touched solid ground, landing gently on her feet with Subaru landing gracefully besides her seconds later. Tsukishima was getting to his feet, covered in sand and white as a ghost.

"I don't think we're on Mid-Childa anymore." Said Nanoha, pushing her mask aside to made her voice clear.

"I think we might be in Hueco Mundo," said Subaru, kneeling down and picking up a handful of white sand off the floor. "No sand on Mid-Childa is this color."

All three of them stared into the darkness ahead. Nanoha pulled her mask back over her face and could see everything perfectly. Nanoha created a small ball of pink Mana n her hand she called Divine Light – a spell she mimicked from Fate. She lit the area for Subaru and Tsukishima, and off they went, their footsteps crunching loudly on the sandy floor. The tunnel was so dark that they could only see a little distance ahead. Their shadows on the grainy walls looked monstrous in the light.

"Remember," Nanoha said quietly as they walked cautiously forward, "Nel is the _Tercero _Espada, that means she the third strongest of Stern's army. If you see her, do not fight her directly."

But the tunnel was quiet as the grave, and the first unexpected sound they heard was a loud _crunch_ as Subaru stepped on what turned out to be a Hollow mask. Nanoha raised her Divine Light and light up the space, surprisingly calm behind her mask despite the gruesome sight that lay before her. There must have been over a hundred Hollow corpses, all piled up in twisted angles and showered in red. The one thing that all of them ad in common was that their masks had been ripped off, revealing their terrified human faces before their lives were sucked away.

"Saint King," said Subaru weakly. There was a sudden movement behind them. Shūkurō Tsukishima's knees had given way. "Get up, you sick bastard."

Tsukishima suddenly jumped on Subaru and tackled her to the ground, holding her by her wrists. Nanoha jumped forward to help, but Tsukishima then pulled out a pocket knife he had hidden in his shirt and held the blade against Subaru's throat.

"The adventure ends here, girls!" he said. "I shall take one of these Hollow masks back to the church, tell them I was too late to save the girl, and that you two _tragically_ perished in the crossfire. My story will live on and my secret will stay safe. You should have just accepted my previous offer when you had the – "

"**Oscillating Knuckles!**"

Nanoha and Tsukishima looked back at Subaru, the gears of her Revolver Knuckles spinning out of control. There was an explosion of light-blue light with the force of a small bomb. Nanoha flung her arms over her head and ran, slipping over the leg of a dead Hollow, out of the way of the great chunks of ceiling that was thundering to the floor. Next moment, she was standing alone, gazing at a solid wall of broken rock.

"Subaru!" she shouted. "Are you okay? Subaru!"

"I'm here!" came Subaru's muffled voice from behind the rock-fall. "I'm okay – this bastard's not, though – he got a full blast of my Oscillating Knuckle – " There was a string of loud crashes that sounded suspiciously like Tsukishima's face being pounded repeatedly against the rocks. "What now? We can't get through – it'll take ages…"

Nanoha looked up at the ceiling. Huge cracks had appeared in it. She could have used Divine Buster to break it apart, but couldn't take the risk of breaking the whole place down on top of them – last year had shown her that was a high possibility. There was another crash and Tsukishima moaned in agony behind the rocks. They were wasting time. Vita had already been in the Tomb of Shadows for hours…Nanoha knew there was only one thing to do.

"Wait here," she called to Subaru. "Wait with Tsukishima. I'll go on…if I'm not back in an hour…"

There was a very pregnant pause.

"I'll try to shift some of this rock," said Subaru, who seemed to be trying to keep her voice steady. "So you can – can get back through. And, Nanoha-San – "

"See you in a bit," said Nanoha, trying to inject some confidence into her shaking voice.

And she set off alone past the pile of Hollow corpses. Soon the distant noises of Subaru straining to shift the rocks was gone. The tunnel turned and turned again. Every nerve in Nanoha's body was strikingly calm, as if the Hollow mask was driving away all fear from her body. And then, at last, as she crept around yet another bend, she saw a solid wall ahead on which a massive black gear was latched, etched with indistinguishable markings.

Nanoha approached it, carefully reading the markings on the giant cog. It may have been unreadable to normal people, but through the eyes of a Hollow, it was like reading Japanese. It basically told her what she had to do. She cleared her throat, and spoke in the same cold and raspy voice.

"**Abrir!**"

The gear turned with a thunderous boom and the wall cracked open, the halves sliding smoothly out of sight, and Nanoha, tightening her hold on Raising Heart, walked inside.

* * *

**All those who are now fans of Subaru, the most kick-ass character of the chapter, raise your hand. Tsukishima finally got his just desserts and the punishment is only just beginning. I have no intention of killing him, but after what I have planned, he's going to wish he was dead. Next up is the fated battle between two old friends and the final secret of the Tomb of Shadows will be revealed. Who will win? Who will lose? Who will renew my contract for next season? Find out next time of Tomb – of – Shadows!**


	17. The Heir of Nachtwal

**Nanoha and the Tomb of Shadows**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen: The Heir of Nachtwal**

She was standing at the end of a very long, dimly lit chamber. Towering stone pillars of pure white rose to support a ceiling lost in darkness, casting long, black shadows through the odd, grayish gloom that filled the place. Breathing heavily behind her mask, Nanoha stood listening to the chilling silence. Could Nel be lurking in a shadowy corner, behind a pillar? And where was Vita?

She gripped Raising Heart with both hands and moved forward between the white columns. Every careful footstep echoed loudly off the shadowy walls. She kept her eyes narrowed, ready to shoot at the first sign of motion. She could feel several eyes watching her through the shadows, but couldn't tell where. Was this just paranoia? Or was the atmosphere of Hueco Mundo having an effect of her Visored powers? Either way, she needed to find Vita and get out – fast.

As she drew level with the last pair of pillars, she came upon a wide, sweeping room that seemed mostly empty except for the flight of stairs that led to the top of a platform that had been raised close to the ceiling. Nanoha had to crane her neck to look up to the white marble block. There was nothing impressive: just a simple katana stabbed into the ground. Unless it was a Hollow version of Excalibur, Nanoha couldn't understand why it seemed so important. And as her eyes traveled to the bottom of the stairs, she saw a small, red-clothed figure with burning-red hair face down on the floor.

"_Vita!_" Nanoha muttered, sprinting to her, and dropping to her knees, pulling her mask aside. "Vita – don't be dead – Hayate-Chan will kill me if you're dead – " She dropped Raising Heart, grabbed Vita's shoulders, and turned her over. Her face was white as Hueco Mundo, and as cold, yet her eyes were closed, so her soul wasn't broken. But then she must be –

"Vita, please wake up," Nanoha muttered desperately, shaking her. Vita's head lolled from side to side.

"She won't wake," said a soft voice.

Nanoha jumped and spun around on her knees. A tall, dark-haired girl was standing at the top of the stairs, watching. She was strangely blurred around the edges, as though Nanoha were looking at her through a misted window. But there was no mistaking her –

"Nette – _Nette Stroder_?" Nette nodded, not taking her eyes off Nanoha's face. "What do you mean, she won't wake? She's not – she's not – "

"She's still alive," said Nette. "But only just."

Nanoha stared at her. Nette Stroder had been at St. Hilde thirty years ago, yet here she stood, a weird, misty light shining about her, not a day older than sixteen.

"Are you a ghost?" Nanoha said uncertainly.

"I am not the real Nette Stroder," said Nette quietly. "Merely a program that has been preserved in Nette's Unison Device for thirty years. You know what a Unison Device is, don't you? Not many people were aware that Nette had one, choosing to keep it hidden in the form of a dairy. That one, to be exact."

She pointed toward the floor near close to the stairs. Lying open there was the little black diary Nanoha had found in Secret's tower. For a second, Nanoha wondered how it had got there – but there were more pressing matters to deal with.

"You've got to help me, Nette, or whoever you are," Nanoha said, raising Vita's head again. "We've got to get her out of here. There an Espada…my friend Nel…I don't know where she is, but she could be along any moment…please, help me – "

The Program didn't move. Nanoha, managed to hoist Vita on her shoulder with her impressive new strength and bent down to pick up Raising Heart. But she was gone.

"Did you see – "

She looked up. Nette's program was still watching her – twirling Raising heart in her hand.

"Thanks," said Nanoha, stretching out her hand for it. A smile curled the corners of Nette's mouth. She continued to stare at Nanoha, twirling the Device idly. "Listen! _We've got to go!_ There is an Espada – "

"Miss Odelschwanck won't come until she is called," said Nette calmly.

Nanoha lowered Vita back onto the floor, staring suspiciously at the program.

"What do you mean?" she said. "Look, give me my Device, I might need it – "

"Not just yet," said Nette. "I've been waiting a long time for this, Nanoha Takamachi. For a chance to see you. To speak to you."

"Look," said Nanoha, losing patience. "I don't think you get it. We're in the _Hueco Mundo_. There could be Hollows – "

"The Hollows won't dare come near here," said Nette. "Not as long as Kyōka Suigetsu remains." Nanoha blinked. "I see that you are confused. Let me explain: This sword" she motioned to the katana behind her, "is actually an Intelligence Device created by Nachtwal himself. It allows one to subdue all non-human species in a perfect hypnotic state, making them susceptible to his suggestions. That is how Nachtwal was able to control so many Hollows at one time."

Nanoha stared at her. There was something very wrong about this…

"How do you know all this?" she asked slowly. "How did Vita _really_ get here?"

"Mein, those are interesting questions," said Nette pleasantly. "And quite a long story. I suppose the real reason Vita Yagami is like this is because she opened her heart and spilled all her secrets to an invisible stranger."

"What are you talking about?" said Nanoha.

"The Unison Device," said Nette. "Nette Stroder's diary. Little Vita has been writing in it for months and months, telling me all her pitiful worries and woes – how her sisters _tease_ her, how she is tired of her family being so poor, and how " – Nette's eyes glinted – "how she didn't think that she would ever compare to the famous Nanoha Takamachi. Oh, the nasty things she wrote about you, it was really colorful for someone of her age…"

All the time she spoke, Nette's eyes never left Nanoha's face. There was an almost hungry look in them.

"It was very _boring_, having to listen to the silly little troubles of an eleven-year-old girl," she went on. "But I was patient. I wrote back. I was sympathetic, I was kind. Vita simply _loved_ me. _No one's ever understood me like you, Nette…I'm so glad I've got this diary to confide in…it's like having a friend I can carry around in my pocket_…"

Nette's program laughed, a low, chilling laugh that didn't suit her. It made the hairs stand up on the back of Nanoha's neck.

"If I say it myself, Nanoha, I've always been able to charm the people I needed. So Vita poured out her soul to me, and her soul happened to be exactly what I wanted…I grew stronger and stronger on a diet of her deepest fears, her darkest secrets. I grew powerful, far more powerful than little Miss Yagami. Powerful enough to start feeding Miss Yagami a few of _mein_ secrets, to stretch a little of _mein_ influence over her…"

"What do you mean?" said Nanoha, whose mouth had gone very dry.

"Haven't you guessed yet, Nanoha Takamachi?" said Nette softly. "Vita Yagami opened the portal to Hueco Mundo. She scratched the threatening messages on the walls. She used the power of Kyōka Suigetsu and set Nelliel on the six half-breeds."

"No," Nanoha whispered

"Yes," said Nette calmly. "Of course, she didn't _know_ what she was doing at first. It was very amusing. I wish you could have seen her new diary entries…far more interesting, they became…_Dear Nette_," she recited, watching Nanoha's horrified face, "_I think I'm losing mein memory. I'm covered in white sand and I don't know where it came from. Dear Nette, I can't remember what I did on the night of Hollow's Eve, but one of the captains was attacked and mein Barrier Jacket is ripped. Dear Nette, Signum keeps telling me I'm pale and I'm not myself. I think she suspects me…There was another attack today and I don't know where I was. Nette, what am I going to do? I think I'm losing mein mind…I think I'm the one attack everyone, Nette!_"

Nanoha growled in a hollow, raspy tone even without the mask covering her face.

"It took a very long time for stupid little Vita to stop trusting her diary," said Nette. "But she finally became suspicious and tried to dispose of it. And that's where _you_ came in, Nanoha. You found it, and I couldn't have been more delighted. Of all the people who could have picked it up, it was _you_, the very person I was most anxious to meet…"

"And why did you want to meet me?" said Nanoha. Anger was coursing through her, and it was an effort to keep her voice steady.

"Well, you see, Vita told me all about you, Nanoha," said Nette. "Your whole _fascinating _history." Nanoha could feel the program's eyes wander lower to the area where her scar was, and her expression grew hungrier. "I knew I must find out more about you, talk to you, meet you if I could. So I decided to show you Nette's famous capture of that brainless oaf, Schach, to gain your trust – "

"Schach is my friend!" said Nanoha, her voice bordering on the edge of demonic. "And you framed her, didn't you? I thought you made a mistake, but – "

"It was Nette's word over Schach's, Nanoha," said Nette, laughing. "Well, you can imagine how it looked to old Midget Crowbel. On one hand, Nette Stroder, poor but brilliant, parentless but so _brave_, church Knight, model student…on the other hand, big, blundering Schach Nouera, in trouble every other week, trying to raise bandersnatch cubs under her bed, sneak off to the Forbidden Forest to wrestle Gigante…but I admit, even _I _was surprised how well the plan worked. I thought _someone_ must realize that Schach couldn't possibly be the Heir of Nachtwal. It had taken _Nette_ five whole years to find out everything she could about the Tomb of Shadows and discover the secret entrance…as though Schach had the brains, or power!

"Only Nette's little junior, Carim Gracia, seemed to think Schach was innocent. She had learned a little _too_ well from Nette. She persuaded to keep Schach and train her as gamekeeper. Yes, I think Carim might have guessed…Carim was closer to Nette than anyone else in the church…"

"I bet Carim-Sama saw right through her," said Nanoha, her teeth gritted.

"Well, she certainly didn't seem to trust Nette as much after Schach was expelled," said Nette carelessly. "She knew it wouldn't be safe to open the portal to Hueco Mundo while she was still at school. But she wasn't going to waste those long years she had spent searching for it. She decided to reprogram me with new sentience and a purpose, so that one day, with luck, I would be able to lead another in her footsteps, and finish Nachtwal's noble work."

"Well, you haven't finished it," said Nanoha triumphantly. "No one's died this time. In a few hours the Mandrake Draught will be ready and everyone who was attacked will be right again – "

"Haven't I told you," said Nette quietly, "that killing half-breeds doesn't matter to me anymore? For many months now, mein new target has been – _you_."

Nanoha stared at her.

"Imagine how angry I was when the next time mein diary was opened, t was Vita who was writing to me, not you. She saw you with the diary, you see, and panicked. What if you found out how to work it, and I repeated all her secrets to you? What if, even worse, I told you who'd been behind the attacks? So the foolish little brat waited until your dormitory was deserted and stole it back. But I knew what I must do. It was clear to me that you were on the trail of Nachwal's heir. From everything Vita had told me about you, I knew you would go to any lengths to solve the mystery – particularly if one of your best friends was attacked. And Vita had told me the whole school was bussing because you were a Visored…

"So I made Vita write her own farewell on the wall and came to Hueco Mundo to wait. She struggled and cried and became _very_ boring. But there isn't much life left in her…she put too much into the diary, into me. Enough to let me leave its pages at last…I have been waiting for you to appear since we arrived here. I knew you'd come. I have many questions for you, Nanoha Takamachi."

"Like what?" Nanoha spat.

"Well, said Nette, smiling pleasantly, "how is it that _you_ – a skinny girl with no extraordinary magical talent – managed to defeat the greatest mage of all time? How did _you_ escape with nothing but a scar, while Stern the Destructor's powers were destroyed?"

"Why do you care how I escaped?" said Nanoha slowly. "Stern was after your time…"

"Stern," said Nette softly, "will always be my master – past, present, and future, Nanoha Takamachi…"

She pulled Kyōka Suigetsu from the platform were a sharp_ clang_ and began to trace it through the air, writing three large shimmering words that Nanoha could see from below:

**NETTE CHURST STRODER**

Then she waved the sword once, and the letter of her master's name rearranged themselves:

**STERN THE DESTRUCTOR**

"You see?" she whispered. "It was a name my master was already using at St. Hilde, to her most intimate friends only, including Carim. You think she was going to use her filthy Earth name forever? She, in whose veins runs the blood of Nachtwal himself, through her mother's side? She, keep the name born of a foul, common Machlos world that had abandoned her just as her parents once had? No, Nanoha – she fashioned herself a new name, a name she knew everyone would one day fear to speak, when she had become the greatest sorceress in the universe!"

Nanoha's brain seemed to have jammed. She stared numbly at the program, at the image of the orphaned girl who had grown up to murder Nanoha's own family, and so many others…at last she forced herself to speak.

"She's not," she said, her quiet voice full of hate.

"Not what?" snapped Nette.

"Not the greatest sorceress in the universe," said Nanoha, breathing fast. "Sorry to disappoint you and all, but the greatest mage in the universe if Carim Gracia. Everyone says so. Even when she was strong, she didn't dare try and take over at St. Hilde. Carim saw through her when they were at St. Hilde and she still frightens her now, wherever she is hiding these days – "

The smile had gone from Nette's face, to be replaced by a very ugly look.

"Carim has been driven out of the church by a mere _memory_ of Nette" she hissed.

"She'll never be gone!" Nanoha retorted. "Not as long as there are those still loyal to her!"

She was speaking at random, wanting to scare the program, wishing rather than believing it to be true. Nette opened her mouth, but froze. A beastly roar echoed somewhere through the forest of pillars. Nette whirled around to stare down the empty Tomb. Thunderous footsteps chorused in the darkness. Then, a black-spotted snow leopard burst into the Tomb through a ripple in space, pouncing over Nette's head and gracefully landed on its head in front of Nanoha.

The snow leopard growled at Nette and turned to Nanoha. It dropped a scratched piece of blue crystal it was carrying in its teeth at Nanoha's feet, then nuzzled against her leg, purring like a kitten. As it curled around her body protectively, Nanoha looked over and stared into its sweet, vivid-blue eyes, feeling safer than she had all day.

"That's a Shutra snow leopard…" said Nette, staring shrewdly at it.

"_Asteion?_" Nanoha breathed.

"And _that_ – " said Nette, eyeing the chipped crystal that Asteion had dropped, "that's the Crystal of the Goddess Cosmos – "

And so it was. Scratched, chipped, and cracked, the crystal lay motionless at Nanoha's feet. Nette began to laugh again. She laughed so hard that the dark tomb rang with it, as though ten Nettes were laughing at once –

"This is what Carim sends her defender! A cat and an old gem! Do you feel brave, Nanoha Takamachi? Do you feel safe now?" Nanoha didn't answer. Asteion might prove helpful, but she didn't see where the crystal came in. Nevertheless, she casually slipped the Hollow mask over her face, her eyes narrowing. "To business, Nanoha. Twice you have met mein master. And twice she failed to kill you. _How did you survive_? Tell me everything. The longer you talk, she added softly, "the longer you stay alive."

Nanoha was thinking fast, weighing her chances. Nette had her Device and Kyōka Suigetsu. She, Nanoha, had Asteion and the Crystal of Cosmos. It looked back, all right…but the longer Nette stood there, the more life was dwindling out of Vita…and in the meantime, Nanoha noticed suddenly, Nette's outline was becoming clearer, more solid…if it had to be a fight between her and this program, better sooner than later.

"No one knows why Stern lost her powers when you attacked me," said Nanoha abruptly. "I don't know myself. But I know why she couldn't _kill_ me. Because my mother died to save me. My common, _half-blooded_ mother," she added, shaking with suppressed rage. "She stopped Stern killing me. And I've seen the real Stern, I saw her last year. She's a wreck. She's barely alive. That's where all her power got her. She's in hiding. She's ugly, she's foul – "

Nette's face contorted. Then she forced it into an awful smile.

"So. Your mother died to save you. _Fee Kugel_. Yes, that's a powerful counterattack. I can see now…there is nothing special about you, after all. I wondered, you see. There are strange likenesses between you and mein master. Even you must have noticed. Both half-bloods, orphans, raised on Earth. Probably the only two Visored to come to St. Hilde since the great Nachtwal himself. But after all, it was merely a lucky chance that saved you from mein master. That's all I wanted to know."

Nanoha was surprised when Nette threw Raising Heart back at her, barely snapping out of it in time to catch the Device in midair.

"Now, Nanoha, I'm going to teach you a little lesson. Let's match the powers of Stern the Destructor, the Queen of Darkness, and the White Devil, Nanoha Takamachi, and the best weapons Carim can give her…"

She cast an amused eye over Asteion and the Crystal of Cosmos, then wrapped her hand around her face. In a sort of ripping motion, Nette's Visored Mask formed over her face, her breathing shallow and raspy. In contrast to Nanoha's, Natte's mask was more skeletal with nine red stripes cover the entire left half of the face. She raised Kyōka Suigetsu over her head and hissed in the language of Hollows – but Nanoha under stood what she was saying…

"_Come to me, mein horseman of destruction! Serve your master and hunt!_"

Nanoha heard something whirling behind her and instinctively turned – her mask was shattered and Nanoha was thrown to the floor as a spiraling lance slid across her face, only barely missing her head. She heard Asteion roar and his footstep thundered away from her. Nanoha wanted to shout, "Don't leave me!" but all her fears and inhibitions came back the moment her mask was destroyed. She desperately tried to call back her mask, scratching her face in the same motion as Nette, but she was too scared to think properly.

Nanoha heard a sharp whine followed by a dull thud. She looked back, instantly regretting it. There was no denying now that Nel was the culprit behind the attacks, lifting Asteion over her head and throwing the snow leopard against one of the pillars. Her face was devoid of the usual kindness she shared, instead replaced by a blank look of indifference, staring down at the trembling snow leopard weakly trying to get back its feet, but ultimately falling back on the ground.

The Espada, no longer feeling threatened by the animal, slowly turned her empty stare on Nanoha. Panting heavily, Nanoha quickly shot up to her feet, requesting Raising Heart to shift into Shooting Mode. She didn't really think she had much of a chance of fighting the third strongest Espada without her Visored mask, but she wasn't going to give Nette the satisfaction of knowing she was scared. Nel slowly trotted closer to Nanoha, which slowly turned into a gallop, and Nanoha swiftly ducked under Nel's swinging fist, rolled out of the way of her legs, crouched into position, and cried, '**Axel Shooter!**' A volley of pink bullets rocketing across the Tomb.

Nel swiftly retrieved her lance, twirling it to block all her shots, and pulled back her arm for another shot. Just then, Asteion pounced on Nel's back and dug its teeth into her right shoulder, causing Nel's lance to be thrown off course and into the shadowy ceiling. The two struggled until Nel pried the snow leopard off her beck and threw it on the ground, stomping on its chest twice for good measure. Nel glowered at the animal before looking back at Nanoha, noticing the bright pink magic circle at her feet. Sakura wings were exposed from the shaft of Raising Hearts rod, a collection of loose particles clustering at the tip of the Device.

"Safety Mode – Released!" said Raising Heart. "Atmospheric collection – Complete! Divine Buster ready!"

"DIVINE BUSTER!" Nanoha screamed.

Not since her battle against Envy had Nanoha felt such a huge drain of magical energy. The Tomb was consumed in an explosion of pink light, but Nel did nothing to shy away from the oncoming blast. Instead, she opened her mouth and took a deep breath. Nanoha, stunned beyond belief, watched as Nel _eat_ her magical energy with a loud belch. When she opened her mouth again, Nel released all the energy she had eaten and doubled its explosive power, shouting 'Cero Doble!'

Even if she wanted to dive out of the way, the blast radius was twice as large as Divine Buster, covering virtually half of the Tomb in violet energy. Nanoha cried out painfully as the energy washed over her. She dropped out of the air like a lead weight, smashing into the floor with crackling thud, forming a small crater in the floor. Though painfully sore and tingling all over, Nanoha thought she was lucky to get away from all that with only her Barrier Jacket ripped to shreds and one of her pigtails burned.

"Now do you understand the power of Stern the Destructor," said Nette, cackling insanely. "As if you, a mere child, could ever hope to stand against the Queen of Darkness." She raised Kyōka Suigetsu once more. "_Go, my servant, kill her now._"

Nel silently walked past Nanoha to the wall, kicking the surface with her hind legs, and miraculously catching her lance, which had been dislodged from the ceiling. Nanoha shivered, understanding that she would soon be killed by one of her friends. Then Nel accidentally kicked something into the crater with Nanoha – it was Cosmos' Crystal. It was all she had left, her only chance. She grasped the crystal firmly in her hands, and silently prayed.

_Help me – help me – _Nanoha thought, her eyes screwed tight. _Please help me –_

The goddess must have heard her prayers. Nel stood over the weak child and stabbed her lance down to finish it, but Nanoha surprised everyone when she caught the tip of the spear – _with her bare hands_! Nel was blasted backwards, her lance thrown aside, and Nette forced to shield herself from the explosion of energy coming from Nanoha. Her wounds healing at a superhuman rate, Nanoha slowly floated out of the hole, staring at herself. She didn't look any different than normal, but she could tell that her Magic Color was different. Instead of the usual pink, it was a rainbow of colors at once.

"I feel tingly…" Nanoha murmured. "And it's the good kind of tingly. What is this?"

"_Kaiserfarbe_…" she heard Nette muttered in a stunned whisper, but quickly changed her tone. "_What are you waiting for, you useless pack mule? Kill the girl! Kill her now!_"

Nel shook her head free of dizziness and stomped swiftly at the glowing mage. Nanoha surprised even herself when, instead of choosing to duck, she raised her hand to catch Nel's flying fist, hardly feeling any of the impact. Nanoha did it again when Nel swung her other fist around, but felt that Nel might as well be throwing a pillow at her. She didn't know what it was, but Nanoha felt stronger than even did with her Visored Mask. Growling under her breath, Nel screamed, '**Cero!**' and blasted Nanoha pointblank in the face. For a moment, Nel looked like she had won, until the smoke cleared and Nanoha was still floating, showing no signs of damage.

Now was the time to make her counterattack. Throwing off Nel's hands, she slapped the Espada's chest with her palm, sending her flying into the staircase. Nel groaned weakly, slowly staggering to her feet, but when she looked up, she knew she was finished. Nanoha had once again pulled off an impossible feat by summoning all the loose magical particles in the atmosphere into a small ball of rainbow energy – _without_ using Raising Heart.

"**DIVINE BUSTER!**" Nanoha screamed

She punched the energy sphere, which exploded on impact, blasting away the pillars, the raised platform, and ever the roof of the Tomb, revealing the eternal night sky and crescent moon of Hueco Mundo. Even the Hollows that were wandering the endless desert could see the explosion from a distance and know it was not safe to go in that direction.

When the blast subsided and the air was clear of smoke and debris, Nanoha stood, panting, holding a heavy piece of the ceiling over Vita and Asteion. She threw the roof chunk away with a grunt, smashing one of the few surviving pillars. Knowing that they were safe, she stumbled through the wreckage to retrieve Raising Heart, who was slightly cracked, but still in one piece.

"**What can I say, Master,**" said Raising Heart. "**You really know how to bring the roof down**."

"I think we might have to get you check back at the church," said Nanoha, laughing. "Your puns are a little stale."

"**What happened to Nel?**"

She was wondering that herself. The former Espada may have tried to kill her, but they were still friends. After looking over the ruins of the former Tomb, she found Nel leaning against a large piece of stone, exhausted. She looked different than she usually did: she had human legs instead of horse ones, the skull on her head was smaller and slightly cracked, and she was wearing only the thinnest green tattered shirt that barely covered her modesty. But for some reason, she didn't feel dangerous any more – Nanoha knew deep down that Nel was free from Nette's control. Looks like blowing stuff up does solve problems.

Nanoha sighed, gad that this whole mess was finally behind her. Unfortunately, she had forgotten one very important thing, something she was reminded off when she felt something cold pierce through her back. Nanoha, gasping for breath, looked down to Kyōka Suigetsu running through her chest before it slipped back. She dropped to her knees, hand pressed against her wonder, as Nette walked around, wiping the blood off her blade.

"This may turn out to be better than I had hoped," said Nette. "I don't know how you managed to call forth Kaiserfarbe, but it appears to have been a one-time deal." She points the tip of the katana at Nanoha's chin, forcing her to look up. "And so ends the famous White Devil. Alone in Hueco Mundo, forsaken by her friends, defeated at last by the Dark Queen she so unwisely challenged. You'll be back with your dear half-breed mother soon, Nanoha…she bought you twelve years of borrowed time…but Stern the Destructor got you in the end, as you knew she must…"

It was as if time slowed down as Nette slowly brought Kyōka Suigetsu over her head, wanting to savor every moment of her demise. Nanoha, too weak to fight anymore, was almost ready to accept death. And then, all of sudden, Nette screamed, dropping the katana and clutched her chest in agony. A hole had formed there, spilling out a waterfall of black blood, staining the white-sand floor. She stuttered fretfully, turning weakly to the side. Nanoha followed her gaze.

Nel, awake and furious, had stabbed her own katana into one of the pages of Nette's diary. The program weakly stumbled over, trying to reach for the book, but Nel closed the book and stabbed through the cover. There was a long, dreadful, piercing scream. Black blood sputtered out of Nette in torrents, splattering the ruins. Nette was withering and twisting, screaming and flailing, and then – she was gone. Nel shot the diary with one final dirty look before burning it with a small burst of violet energy.

"Go to hell," said Nel, leaning back against the rubble.

Shaking all over, Nanoha pulled herself up. Her head was spinning as thought she'd just traveled miles by Transported Spell. Slowly, she gathered Raising Hearts and Cosmos' Crystal, and, with effort, walked over and pulled Nel onto her back.

"I'm sorry for everything, Nanoha," Nel apologized, looking sincerely mournful. "It's true. I was being controlled by Stern the Destructor. She was the one who drafted me into the Espada by force after I refused to join her willingly. I was too weak to resist her power. Everything that has happened, I am to blame."

"No, Stern is to blame," said Nanoha. "When we get back to the church, we'll tell them everything."

Nel smiled grimly at the girl, probably thinking that no amount of explanation would excuse her actions. Then came a moan from the end of the ruins. Vita was stirring. As Nanoha and Nel limped toward her, she sat up. Her bemused eyes traveled from Nel, over Nanoha, in her bloodstained cloths, then to the ashy remains of Nette's diary. She drew a great, shuddering gasp and tears began to pour down her face.

"I – I tried to tell Hayate at b-breakfest, but I c-couldn't say it in front of Signum – it was _me_ – but I – I s-swear I d-didn't mean to – N-Nette made me, she t-took me over – and – _how_ are you still alive? W-where's Nette? The last thing I r-remember is her coming out fo the diary – "

"Do not worry, little one" said Nel, slowly stepping away from Nanoha and hugging Vita, patting her head gently. "Nette Stroder will no longer trouble us anymore. Come, Vita Yagami, let go back to the church – "

"I'm going to be expelled!" Vita wept as Nel helped her awkwardly to her feet. "I've looked forward to coming to St. Hilde ever since Z-Zafira came and n-now I'll have to leave and – _w-what'll Shamal say?_"

Asteion, though limping on her front right paw, approached them and ushered Nel and Vita onto its back. They seemed slightly hesitant since the snow leopard was injured, but Asteion was insistent and wouldn't budge until both of them were safely on; they stepped over the layers of rubble, through the echoing glood, and back into the underground tunnel. Nanoha heard the stone doors close behind them with a small hiss. After a few minutes of progress up the dark tunnel, a distant sound of slowly shifting rock reached Nanoha's ears.

"Subaru!" Nanoha yelled, speeding up. "Vita's okay! I've got her!"

She heard Subaru give a strangled cheer, and they turned the next bend to see her eager face staring through the sizable gap she had managed to make in the rock fall.

"Nanoha-San!" Subaru thrust an arm through the gap in the rock to pull her through first. "You're alive! I don't believe it! what happened? How – what – where did the tiger come from?"

Asteion crawled through, carrying Nel and Vita.

"He's a snow leopard," said Nanoha. "He belongs to Carim-Sama."

"You seem…different," said Subaru, humming thoughtfully. "It's like…you have a different aura about you."

"I'll explain when we get out of here," said Nanoha, looking around. "Where's Tsukishima"

"Back there," said Subaru, still looking puzzled but jerked her head up the tunnel.

Led by Asteion, they walked all the way back to the Garganta opening where they had entered. Shūkurō Tsukishima was lying on his back on the ground, moaning and muttering incoherent things. It looked like Subaru had been busy teaching Tsukishima more than a few lessons on proper etiquette. All of his teeth had been knocked out, leaving only gums, his face was blotched with black and blue bruises, and great wads of his hair had been ripped from the root.

"Do you even know the meaning of the word restraint," asked Nanoha.

"The bastard's just lucky I didn't do worse." Said Suabru.

Nanoha wanted to ask how it could have been worse, but thought it better not to ask. Nanoha edged closer to the Garganta, wondering how they were going to get back to the church. Were they supposed to swim? Fly? Or would they have to look for another portal somewhere in Hueco Mundo. Asteion answered that by forcefully shoving Nanoha into the opening. Nanoha screamed, flailing her arms, until she realized that she was floating up instead of down, as if someone had flipped the switch on gravity. She heard Subaru, Nel, and Vita shout the same thing and cluelessly followed Nanoha through the sea of darkness, Subaru unhappily dragging Tsukishima by the foot. And before they knew it, they landed in the dark and drafty Midnight Tower – the Garganta closed behind them.

"Well, that was something," said Subaru. "Hey, where's Secret? I thought she'd be here."

She was right – Secret wasn't lurking about in her usual corner. In fact, it looked like most of the tower had been emptied since they had been gone.

"Maybe she'd decided to move on now," Nanoha suggested, shrugging her shoulder. "Maybe she – you k now – decided to cross over to the next world."

"I guess that might be right," said Subaru. "Where to now?"

Asteion was leading the way, his glittering white fur guiding them through the dark hallways. They strode after him, down the marble stairs case, and through the hidden staircase beneath Olivie's statue. Moments later, they found themselves outside the Headmistress's office. Nanoha knocked and pushed the doors open.

"Took you long enough," Secret huffed impatiently.

* * *

**Case Closed! Now who wants some chowdah! Yes, the true villain behind the Tomb of Shadows is not Stern the Destructor, but a program she left behind to continue her work. And now that the program is destroyed and Nel is free from her control, all the remains is what hers and Vita's fate will be. Will Nel be punished for her unwilling crimes? Will Vita be expelled for being an unwitting pawn? And can my teeth get any whiter? *Bling, Bling* Find out the answer to all these life-changing questions on the final chapter of Tomb – of – Shadows!**


	18. Vette's Reward

**Nanoha and the Tomb of Shadows**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen: Vette's Reward**

For a moment there was silence as Nanoha, Vita, Nel, and Subaru dragging Tsukishima stood in the doorway, covered in muck and sand and (In Nanoha's case) blood. Then there was a scream.

"_Vita!_"

It was Shamal, who had been sitting crying in one of the pews. She leapt to her feet, closely followed by Zafira, and both of them flung themselves on their sister. Nanoha, however, was looking past them. Carim Gracia was standing behind the alter, beaming, next to Secret, who smiling wider than Nanoha had ever seen her. Asteion went dashing past Nanoha's legs and settled at Carim's feet, just as Nanoha found herself and Subaru being swept into Shamal's tight embrace.

"You saved her! You saved her!"

"It wasn't that big of a deal," Vita pouted, trying not to look Nanoha in the eye.

"I think we'd all like to know just _how_ you saved her," said Carim.

Shamal let go of Nanoha, who hesitated for a moment, then walked over to the alter and laid upon it the Crystal of Cosmos – she couldn't see the rainbow Mana around her hand anymore. Then she started telling them everything. For nearly a quarter of an hour she spoke into the rapt silence: She told them about hearing the disembodied voice, how Teana had finally realized that she was hearing Nel's voice between dimension; how she and Fate had followed the _araña _into the forest, that Soria had told them where Nel's last victim had died; how she guessed that Secret was really Greta Hayes, and that the Tomb of Shadows was in Hueco Mundo…

"Very well," Zafira prompted her as she paused, "so you found out where the entrance was – breaking a hundred school rules into pieces along the way, I might add – but how on Mid-Childa did you all get out of there alive, Nanoha?"

So Nanoha, her voice growing hoarse from all this talking, told them about Asteion's timely arrival and about the Crystal of Cosmos giving her the strange rainbow Mana. But then she faltered. She had so far avoided mentioning Nette's diary – or Vita. She was standing there with her head against Shamal's shoulder and tear were still coursing silently down her cheeks. _What if they expelled her?_ Nanoha thought in panic. Nette's diary had been burned…how could they prove it had been _her_ who'd made Vita do it all? Instinctively, Nanoha looked at Carim, who smiled faintly.

"What interests _me_ most," said Carim gently, "is how Stern the Destructor managed to enchant Vita, when my sources tell me she is currently in hiding in the forests of Gran Pulse."

Relief – warm, sweeping, glorious relief – swept over Nanoha.

"W-what's that?" said Zafira in a stunned voice. "The Dark Queen? En-enchanted _Vita_? But Vita's now…Vita hasn't been…has she?"

"It was her diary," said Nel in a low, solemn voice. "Not many people were aware that Stern the Destructor once carried a Unison Device with her when she was young. She had reprogrammed it to carry out her instructors."

"Brilliant," said Carim softly. "Of course, she was probably the most brilliant student St. Hilde had ever seen." She turned around to the Yagamis, who were looking utterly bewildered. "Very few people knew that Stern the Destructor was once called Nette Stroder from Earth. She was my Senpai, thirty years ago, and I looked up to her. She disappeared after leaving the Church…traveled far and wide…sank so deeply into the Dark Arts, consorted with the very worst of our kind, underwent many dangerous, magical transformations, that when she resurfaced as Stern the Destructor, she was barely recognizable. Hardly anyone connected Stern the Destructor with the clever, beautiful girl who was once Lady Saint here."

"But, Vita," said Shamal. "What's Vita got to do with – with – _her?_"

"Her d-dairy!" Vita sniffled. "I've b-been writing in it, and she's been w-writing back all year – "

"_Vita_!" said Zafira, flabbergasted. "Haven't I taught you _anything_? What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself _if you can't see where it keeps its brains_? Why didn't you show the diary to me, or Shamal? A suspicious object like that, it was _clearly_ full of Dark Magic – "

"I d-didn't know," sobbed Vita. "I found it inside one of the books Shamal got me. I th-thought someone had just left it in there and forgot about it – "

"Miss Yagami should go up to the hospital wing right away," Carim interrupted in a firm voice. "This has been a terrible ordeal for her. There will be no punishment. Older and wiser men than she have been hoodwinked by Stern the Destructor." She strode over to the doors and opened them. "Bed rest and perhaps a large steaming mug of hot chocolate. I always find that cheers me up. You will find that Doctor Chopper is still awake. He's just giving out Mandrake Juice – I daresay Nelliel's victims will be waking up any moment."

"So Tea's okay!" said Subaru brightly.

"There has been no last harm done, Vita," said Carim.

Shamal led Vita out, but Zafira stayed behind for a moment, staring down at Nel, who was looking back with a sad smile.

"I'm sorry, but I have no choice," said Zafira. "I must do my job."

"I understand," said Nel softly, "and I am ready to accept the punishment for my crimes."

"Very well," said Zafira, walking around her and binding her hands together. "Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, you are under arrest for conspiring with the Dark Queen, multiple counts of aggravated assault, and a one count of second degree homicide. You have the right to remain silent – "

"You can't do this!" Nanoha shouted, stunned. "Nel didn't do anything on purpose! It was Stern who – "

"Without the dairy or any solid evidence, that will be hard to prove," said Zafira, trying his best not to upset her. "And even if that were the case, she is still an Espada, voluntary or not. I will do everything to arrange a fair trial for her, but once I turn her over to the TSAB, her fate is out of my hands."

"But – "

"It is all right, Nanoha," said Nel. Nanoha was shocked to see her smile so genuinely. "I knew that my past would one day catch up with me, but I am not worried. If I am to be executed, I will accept it knowing that it is my own life, not Stern's."

Nanoha didn't know what to say – it just seemed wrong. But this was out of her hands now.

"Before you go, you may wish to take Mr. Tsukishima with you," said Carim, pointing to the mangled teacher that had nearly been forgotten on the floor. "Now that his Fullbring has been broken, all the memories of his victims will be returning to normal shortly. You will find more than a few statements on your desk within the hours."

Zafira looked out her like a confused puppy, but accepted it nonetheless. He didn't seem to feel all the bad and he led Nel out of the chapel, dragging Tsukishima by the heel, not even bothering to prevent his butchered face from hitting the wooden pews. Before the doors closed, Nanoha saw Nel smile at her one last time – and then they were gone.

"You know, Greta," Carim said thoughtfully to Secret, "I think all this merits a good _feast_. Might I my new assistant to go and alert the kitchens? Afterwards, you may wish to examine your new accommodations in the west wing. I tried to get you one of the nicer towers – it was the one I offered Schach to stay in when I asked her to be my assistant, but she turned it down."

"I think I can handle that," said Secret, floating down to face the headmistress directly. "Um...Carim…I just want to say…thanks. Thanks for not forgetting about me…and not giving up on me. I know I wasn't exactly the most social person when I was alive – "

"If it was anyone's fault, it was my own," interrupted Carim. "I was young and timid during my childhood and I have made many mistakes because of it. I often wonder if I had reached out to you before, maybe I could have prevented your death. But now is not the time to wallow away in past misfortune – today, we begin a future together. As friends."

Secret giggled softly and recklessly rushed forward, throwing her hands around Carim's neck, who did not hesitate to return the embrace. With all the bad things that had been happening recently, it was nice to know something good had come out of all this.

"Thank you, Carim," said Secret, floating out of the hug. "I'll leave you to deal with Nanoha and tomboy, shall I?"

Certainly," said Carim.

She vanished in a puff of smoke, and Nanoha and Subaru gazed uncertainly at Carim. What exactly had Secret meant, _deal_ with them? surely – _surely _– they weren't about to be punished?

"I seem to remember telling you, Nanoha, that I would have to expel you if you broke any more rules," said Carim. Subaru opened her mouth in horror. "Which goes to show that the best of us must sometimes eat our words," Carim went on, smiling. "You will both receive Special Awards for Services to the Church and – let me see – yes, I think two hundred points apiece for Kaiser." Subaru went as brightly pink as Tsukishima's valentine flowers and closed her mouth again. "Now, if you wouldn't mind, Miss Nakajima, I'd like a few words alone with Nanoha…"

"Of course," said Subaru, walking toward the doors until she stopped. She quickly unzipped the front of the Black Coat, folded it messily, and dashed back to Nanoha. "Here, Nanoha-San, you'll probably want this back."

"No, you keep it, Subaru," said Nanoha, pushing the coat back to her stunned roommate. "These Coats used to belong to my father and his friends, and now it's my turn to share them with you, Fate-Chan, and Hayate-Chan. I wish I had a fifth one to give to Teana, though."

Nanoha could see the sparkle in Subaru's eyes, accepting the rare gift from her role model, and was practically skipping out of the chapel, humming 'tiptoe through the tulips'. Carim crossed to one of the pews, patting the seat beside her.

"Sit down, Nanoha," she said, and Nanoha sat, feeling unaccountably nervous. "First of all, Nanoha, I want to thank you. You must have shown me real loyalty in Hueco Mundo . Nothing but that could have pulled Asteion through dimensions to you." She stroked the snow leopard, which had curled around her legs, purring. Nanoha grinned awkwardly as Carim watched her. "And so you met Nette Stroder – or at least, a copy of her. I imagine she was _most_ interested in you…"

Suddenly, something that was nagging at Nanoha came tumbling out of her mouth.

"Carim-Sama…Nette's program said I'm like her. Strange likenesses, she said…"

"_Did_ she, now?" said Carim, looking thoughtfully at Nanoha. "And what do you think, Nanoha?"

"I don't think I'm like her!" said Nanoha, more loudly than she'd intended. "I mean, I'm – I'm in _Kaiser_, I'm…" But she fell silent, a lurking doubt resurfacing in her mind. "Carim-Sama…Cosmos told me I'd – I'd have done well in Material. Everyone thought _I _was Nachtwal's heir for a while…because I'm a Visored…"

"You are a Visored, Nanoha," said Carim calmly, "because Stern the Destructor – who _is_ the last remaining descendant of Nachtwal – is a Visored. Unless I'm much mistaken, she transferred some of her own powers to you the night she gave you that scar. Not something she intended to do, I'm sure…"

"Stern put a bit of herself in _me_?" Nanoha said, thunderstruck.

"It certainly seems so."

"So I _should_ be in Material," Nanoha said, looking desperately into Carim's face. "Cosmos could see Nachtwal's power in me, and she – "

"Put you in Kaiser," said Carim calmly. "Listen to me, Nanoha. You happen to have many qualities that Nachtwal prized in his hand-picked students. His own very rare gift, the Visored Mask – resourcefulness – determination – a certain disregard for the rules," she added, smirking. "Yet the goddess placed you in Kaiser. You know why that was. Think."

"She only put me in Kaiser," said Nanoha in a defeated voice, "because I asked not to go in Material…"

"_Exactly_," said Carim, beaming once more. "Which makes you _very different_ from Nette Stroder. It is our choices, Nanoha, that shows what we truly are, far more than our abilities." Nanoha sat motionlessly in her seat, stunned. "If you want proof, Nanoha, that you belong in Kaiser, then remember that strength you felt when you fought Nel. You noticed something different about your magic, didn't you?"

"Yes," said Nanoha, staring at her hand. The power she had felt then was gone, but she could see it in her mind clear as day. "It was stronger, faster, larger – more than I had ever seen before. But it was also calming and warm, like I was in the arms of my mother's arms. My Mana was also different – it looked like a hundred colors moving around at once."

"That was Kaiserfarbe," said Carim Simply. "Otherwise known as the Color of the Saint King. That burst of strength you felt, though temporary, was a gift given by the Olivie Sägebrecht herself. Only a true Kaiser could have drawn that kind of power from the crystal."

For a minute, neither of them spoke. Then Carim walked around the alter and pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen from one of her desk drawers.

"What you need, Nanoha, is some food and sleep. I suggest you go down to the feast, while I write to Gefängnis – we need our gamekeeper back. I might also suggest that the limiter around her Linker Core be removed. And I must draft an advertisement for the Daily News, too," she added thoughtfully. "We'll be needing a new Tactical Combat Instructor…dear me, we do seem to go through them, don't we?"

Nanoha got up and crossed to the doors. She had just reached for the handles, however, when the door burst open so violently that they bounced off the walls. Lord Dearche Eberwein stood there, fury in her face. And cowering behind her legs, heavily wrapped in bandages, was _Vette_.

"Good evening, Lord Dearche," said Carim pleasantly.

Lord Dearche almost knocked Nanoha over as she swept into the chapel. Vette went scurrying in after her, crouching at the hem of her jacket, a look of abject terror on her face. The Twi'lek was carrying a stained rag with which she was attempting to finish cleaning Lord Dearche's boots. Apparently Lord Dearche had set out in a great hurry, for not only were her boots half-polished, but her usually sleek hair was disheveled. Ignoring the slave bobbing apologetically around her ankles, she fixed her cold eyes upon Carim.

"So!" she said. "You've come back. The governors suspended you, but you still saw fit to return to St. Hilde."

"Well, you see, Lord Dearche," said Carim, smiling serenely, "the other eleven governors contacted me today. It was something being caught in a hailstorm of Fay, to tell the truth. They'd heard that Zafira Yagami's sister had been killed and wanted me back here at once. They seemed to think I was the best person for the job after all. Very strange tales they told me, too…several of them seemed to think that you had threatened to curse their families if they didn't agree to suspend me in the first place."

Lord Dearche went even paler than usual, but her eyes were still slits of fury.

"So – have you stopped the attacks yet?" she sneered. "Have you caught the culprit?"

"We have," said Carim, with a smile.

"_Well?_" aid Lord Dearche sharply. "Who is it?"

"The same person as last time, Lord Dearche," said Carim. "But this time, Stern the Destructor was acting through somebody else. By means of a Unison Device in the form of a diary. The diary has, unfortunately, been destroyed in the battle."

She was looking at Lord Dearche with a particularly piercing gaze as she said this. Nanoha, however, was watching Vette. The Twi'lek was doing something very odd. Her soft eyes fixed meaningfully on Nanoha, she kept jerking her head at Lord Dearche, and then slapped herself hard across the face, muttering 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry' under her breath.

"I see…" said Lord Dearche slowly to Carim.

"A clever plan," said Carim in a level voice, still staring Lord Dearche straight in the eye. "Because if Nanoha here" – Lord Dearche shot Nanoha a swift, sharp look – "and her friends hadn't discovered the diary, why – Vita Yagami might have taken all the blame. No one would ever have been able to prove she hadn't acted of her own free will…"

Lord Dearche said nothing. Her face suddenly masklike.

"And imagine," Carim went on, "what might have happened then…the Yagamis are one of our most prominent pure-blood families. Imagine the effect on Zafira Yagami and his Machlos Protection Act, if his own sister was discovered attacking and killing half-bloods…very fortunate the diary was discovered and the program inside it was destroyed. Who knows what the consuquences might have been otherwise…"

"Very fortunate," said Lord Dearche stiffly.

And still, behind her back, Vette was jerking her head at Lord Dearche, and slapping herself across the face. And Nanoha suddenly understood. She nodded at Vette, and Vette backed into a corner, now twisting her lekku in punishment.

"Don't you want to know how Vita got hold of that diary, Dearche?" said Nanoha.

"That's _Lord_ Dearche to you," said Lord Dearche, rounding to her. "How should I know how the stupid little girl got a hold of it?"

"Because you gave it to her," said Nanoha. "In Spellbinders. You picked up her old Alchemy book and slipped the diary inside it, didn't you?"

"Prove it," Lord Dearche hissed, her hands clenching and unclenching.

"Oh, no one will be able to do that," said Carim, smiling at Nanoha. "Not now that Nette's program has been eliminated and the diary destroyed. On the other hand, I would advise you, Lord Dearche, not to go giving out any more of Stern's old school things. If any more of them find their way into innocent hands, I think Zafira Yagami, for one, will make sure they are traced back to you…"

Lord Dearche Eberwein stood for a moment, and Nanoha distinctly saw her right hand twitch as though she was longing to reach for her Device. Instead, she turned to her slave.

"We're going, slave!"

She wrenched open the doors and as the Twi'lek came hurrying up to her, she kicked her right through it. They could hear Vette squealing with pain all the way up the spiral staircase. Nanoha stood for a moment, thinking hard. Then it came to her – "

"Excuse me, ma'am," she said hurriedly. "I need to go talk to Dearche for a moment."

"Certainly, Nanoha," said Carim calmly. "But hurry. The feast, remember…"

Nanoha dashed out of the office and up the spiral staircase, into the entrance hall. She spotted Lord Dearche kicking Vette to the ground again just as they were crossing to the big oak doors. She stopped for a moment, searching her pocket – this was the important part. She heard a small click and quickly rushed over to the unkind master and slave, shouting:

"Hold it right there!"

"What do you want, Takamachi," said Lord Dearche, turning around, irritated. "I am a very busy woman."

"This will only be for a second," said Nanoha. "I need to ask a favor, Deache Eberwein – "

"That's _Lord _Dearche Eberwein, peasant," Lord Dearche sneered. "And why should I do you a favor."

"I want you to set Vette free," said Nanoha, determined. Lord Dearche stared for a moment, then laughed.

"Why on Mid-Childa," Lord Dearche cackled. "Would I release my servant – "

"Her name is Vette!" snapped Nanoha.

"Very well," grumbled Lord Dearche. "Why would I release _Vette _from her service? I bought her fair and square and she will serve my family until her dying breath. But since she seems to mean a great deal to you, I will make every waking moment of her life more miserable than the last." Vette shuddered under her master's wicked gaze. "And her torment will be your fault, Takamachi. Are we clear?"

"I think so," said Nanoha, smiling victoriously. "Let me double-check."

Nanoha ruffled through her pocket and pulled out a tape recorder – the same one that Teana had used for her report. She pressed the play button and resisted the urge to laugh at Lord Dearche's expression when her own voice came out of it.

"**I – **_**Lord **_**Dearche Eberwein – release my servant – **_**Vette**_** from her service**_** – **_"

The tape recorder clicked off and there was silence in the entrance hall. Then, a loud beep was heard, followed by a dull thud of metal hitting the floor, and Vette's teary cries. The Twi'lek looked down at her throat, which was now free from the metal collar that had damned her to a life of servitude to the Eberweins. Tears poured from her eyes as she laughed happily for the first time in years.

"It's gone," said Vette in disbelief. "Master said the words, and the collar unlocked itself, and I'm – I'm _free_!"

Lord Dearche stood frozen, staring at the Twi'lek. Then she lunged at Nanoha.

"You lost me my slave, girl!"

But Vette shouted, "Stay away from her, bitch!"

Here was a loud bang, and Lord Dearche was thrown backward. She crashed into the tall oak doors, out onto the grounds, where she landed in a crumpled heap on the bottom of the grassy hill. Nanoha and Vette walked outside as she got up, her face livid, and looked ready to pull out her Device, but Vette raised a single threatening finger.

"Get out of here now," she said fiercely, pointing down at Lord Dearche. "You shall never lay a hand on Nanoha Takamachi. Get out of here before I lose my temper."

Lord Dearche had no choice. With a last, incensed stare at the pair of them, she swung her jacket around her and hurried out of sight.

"I can't believe you freed me!" said the now free Twi'lek, glomping the girl who had unfortunately been smothered in her breasts. Vette finally let go when she noticed Nanoha having a hard time breathing. "You actually set me free!"

"Least I could do, Vette," said Nanoha, grinning. "Just promise never to try and save my life again." The beautiful Twi'lek's face split into a wide, toothy grin. "I've just got one question, Vette. You told me all this had nothing to do with the Queen of Darkness, remember? Well – "

"Technically, I didn't," said Vette, acting like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "The Nette Stroder in the diary was a program created by the original Queen of Darkness. I was giving you a clue, but I guess I wasn't being clear enough."

"Right," said Nanoha weakly. "Well, I'd better go. There's a feast, and my friend Teana should be awake by now…"

"You are the greatest friend I ever had," Vette whispered softly, hugging her one last time. "Thank you, Nanoha."

And she walked away with a new spring in her step.

* * *

Nanoha had been to several St Hilde feasts, but never one quite like this. Everybody was in their pajamas, and the celebration lasted all night. Nanoha didn't know whether the best part was Teana running toward her, screaming "You solved it! You solved it!" or Lisanna hurrying over from Hades table to wring her hand and apologize endlessly for suspecting her, or Schach turning up at half past three, cuffing Nanoha and the girls so hard on the shoulders that they knocked into their plates of chocolate strawberries, or Secret hogtying Loki and letting the students beat him like a piñata, and Nanoha and Subaru's four hundred points for Kaiser securing the House Cup for the second year running, or Presea standing up to tell them that the exams had been cancelled as a treat ("Oh, _no!_") said Fate, or Carim announcing that, unfortunately, Tsukishima would be unable to return next year, due to undisclosed circumstances. Quite a few of the teachers joined in the cheering that greeted this news.

"What did happen to Tsukishima?" asked Teana, no longer seeing the man as the respectable teacher she was led to believe.

"Mother might have uh…_accidentally_ let it slipped to the public about Tsukishima's arrest," said Fate, feeling a sense of love and respect for the woman who gave birth to her. "Apparently, after Subaru snapped his Fullbring, people started remembering what Tsukishima did to them. He's been to five thousand years in Gefängnis for eighty-two counts of sexual assault on minors, twenty counts of memory tampering, and several accounts of fraud. His titles have been stripped, his books have been burned, and there are 73.6 trillion people petitioning for him to be sent to the electric chair."

"All in all, a rather good day," said Subaru.

"Shame really," said Hayate, helping herself to a jelly doughnut. "There was so much I could have learned from him."

Hayate sat alone for a couple of days.

* * *

The rest of the final term passed in a haze of blazing sunshine. St. Hilde was back to normal with only a few, small differences – Tactical Combat Instruction was cancelled ("but we've had plenty of practice at that anyway," Hayate told a disgruntled Fate) and Lord Dearche Eberwein had been fired as a church governor. Yuri was no longer strutting around the church as though she owned the place. On the contrary, she looked resentful and sulky. On the other hand, Vita Yagami was perfectly happy again, though Nanoha really wished she found another punching bag.

Too soon, it was time for the journey home on the _Arthra._ Nanoha, Fate, Hayate and Vita had all been assigned the same cabin and Rein, Agito, Teana, and Subaru visited them from the cabin across. They made the most of the last few hours in which they were allowed to do magic before the holidays. They played Sabaac, set off the last of Agito and Rein's fireworks, and practice new spells on each other. Nanoha had to sit out halfway when her Visored Mask unintentionally started forming. They were almost at Cranagan when Nanoha remembered something.

"Vita – what did you see Signum doing, that she didn't want you to tell anyone?"

"Oh, that," said Vita, laughing wickedly. "Well – Signum's got a _boyfriend_."

Agito dropped a stack of books on Rein's head.

"_What?_"

It's that Hegemon Knight, Zack Fair," said Vita. "That's who she was writing to all last holiday. She's been meeting him all over the church in secret. I walked in on them _kissing_ in an empty classroom one day. She was so upset when he was – you know – attacked. You won't say anything, will you?"

"Wouldn't dream of it," said Agito, who was looking like her birthday had come early.

"Definitely not," said Rein, sniggering.

The _Arthra_ slowed and finally stopped in the hanger. As they exited the ship, they passed a few people who stopped and waved to Nanoha, some even asking for photos and autographs, which she swiftly denied. But each and every time, they all said the same thing.

"Hey, it's the White Devil!"

"The White Devil is so cool!"

"See you next year, White Devil!"

"I can't believe the name stuck," Nanoha whined loudly as another group of first years called her White Devil.

"I think it's cool," said Subaru cheerfully. "Makes you sound tough."

"Having a nickname just means how much people respect you," said Fate, smiling. "Everyone calls me Lightning Testarossa, remember? I think White Devil really suits you."

"You have to admit, you can be a bit…devilish when you want to be," said Hayate.

"**That's what I said!**" said Raising Heart.

Nanoha whined, knowing she would be branded the White Devil forever. Sighing, she pulled out a pen and a piece of paper and turned to her roommates.

"With technology as advanced as your, I'm sure you know how to work a telephone," she said them, scribbling the paper four times, tearing it equally as many times, and handing it to them. "Call me at the Henkens' okay? I can't stand another two months with only Kenta to talk to…"

"Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they?" said Teana. "When they hear what you did this year?"

"Proud?" said Nanoha. "Are you crazy? All those times I could've died, and I didn't manage it? They'll be furious…"

And they went their separate ways, Nanoha returning to the only home she knew, the home Nette had once threw away. But even if Earth wasn't the greatest planet in the world, it was one that Nanoha dearly loved, even if it meant sticking with the Henkens.

* * *

**And that wraps it up people – the second of eight books has been completed! As you can see, there were some happy endings for Greta, Schach, and Vette, but not everyone earns that same fate. Nel is unfortunately still an Espada and must pay for her crimes. But if you pray really hard, maybe one day, she will come back.**

**In the next book, Nanoha returns to St. Hilde, this time with an escaped criminal hell bent on hunting her down. She will face against heartless sentinels that seek to consume her, a mysterious new teacher that has eyes on Nanoha, a friend with hidden agenda, and a secret that will have Nanoha questioning to truth behind her father's past. Stay tuned for the next thrilling installment in Nanoha and the Scarlet Beast!**

**While I will proceed onto the next story soon, there is one small, unresolved issue that may hinder the progress of the story. If any of the more experienced writers would like to assist me, pleased contact me ONLY by PM. I will not respond to reviews. Until then, keep your butter moist and burritos spicy! See ya!**


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